By Ashley Whyte
GORE BAY—Volunteers like Gore Bay resident Kathy Antonio play an essential role in helping communities thrive and improve the quality of life for those around them. They are the unsung heroes of society who support and enable services and activities that many of us enjoy or might need at some point.
Sometimes they are teachers, doctors, directors, clerks, pharmacists and sometimes they are mothers, fathers, grandparents, students and even children, lending a hand in any way they can. The range of work encompassed in the efforts of Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers is varied and includes assistance in shelters, food banks, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity’s, public parks, hospitals, libraries, senior citizen centres, Red Cross, Salvation Army, political campaigns, municipal programs and much more.
Last week was National Volunteer Week, a reminder to celebrate and thank those who give their time to others without asking for reward.
Ms. Antonio is founder of The Tweeny Project, a non-profit program for girls age nine to 13 and has been a volunteer herself since she was a teen. Her background in volunteering includes experiences in figure skating, theatre and even time as an altar girl when she was young. She is a prime example of how volunteers create significant opportunities for their communities.
Ms. Antonio is also the founder of My Ol’ Blues, a local clothing manufacturer and retailer, and started the Tweeny program in 2013 with the aspiration of including others in her business.
“The ‘tween’ age group is really difficult to sell to,” Ms. Antonio explained. “It’s hard to know what young girls are interested in, but maybe if they’re designing for themselves, others their age will like it too. We came up with the slogan ‘designed by girls, made for girls.’
The program introduces young girls to the world of fashion, but more importantly, it teaches them how to make clothing that they are comfortable wearing. The girls learn how to design something they want to make, as well as how to select materials, create a pattern and even make a dress form of their own to work with. They learn all the basics that go into being a seamstress, but they also learn how to work and accomplish projects together as a team.
Ms. Antonio pointed out some of the benefits that the program provides. “The Tweeny project offers young girls the chance to gain new experience and perspective, it helps build their self-confidence and the ability to conduct oneself. On top of that, the girls will have already started a resume by the end of the program; that’s a big advantage when they apply for their first job.”
The girls volunteer their time to create clothing designs under their chosen brand name ‘2 Blue Girlz,’ which are manufactured and sold by My Ol’ Blues, providing them an opportunity to generate royalties from clothing sales.
The group meets every Monday for two and a half hours and Ms. Antonio dedicates an additional 10-15 hours per week to the project to make it possible. She has been the sole volunteer over the last three years and has now worked with seven groups of girls, but has recently been joined by Mari Ausmees who studied at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Toronto.
“I teach the girls about design and how to make clothing, but I didn’t go to school for it,” Ms. Antonio noted. “It’s great of Mari to volunteer because her education and background bring a new set of skills to the table.”
When asked about the challenging aspects of volunteer work, Ms. Antonio replied, “working around schedules can be tricky, but we do it. Funding is especially difficult. We set up a book rack with novels that you can leave a donation for and that helps, but it would be nice to make a field trip to Parker Knits or the Fashion Incubator.”
The girls occasionally go on local trips to thrift shops to pick up materials to work with, but Ms. Antonio would like to expand on their interest in design and take them for a tour of some of Toronto’s professional establishments.
“The most rewarding aspect of volunteering is watching the girls become self-sufficient as well as accepting and respectful of criticism,” says Ms. Antonio. She also felt that being able to provide a learning opportunity for the Little Sisters group on their field trip to My Ol’ Blues was an example of the positive influence volunteering can have on a community.
Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Kathy Antonio, The Tweeny Project is creating the opportunity for young girls to develop their social, professional and motivational skills, as well as building the foundation for entrepreneurial interest.
If you would like more information on this non-profit volunteer-based program, please contact info@myolblues.com.
