It’s a regular weekday afternoon when the rose pink house with white trim on Sapodilla Boulevard in Pinewood begins to fill. Inside the living room-turned-studio and another room that’s been added to handle the demand, girls still in their primary and secondary school uniform are gathering for a class of a different kind – they’re learning how to sew and some of them have already made the uniforms they are wearing today.
But this day is not like the others.
Today, members of the Sewing Club are there to unpack the biggest gift they’ve ever received, five new sewing machines donated by Bank of The Bahamas. Their wide eyes, bright smiles and applause mixed with squeals of delight touched bank staff who came to make the presentation.
“From the moment we got the first letter from Waianya Wilson asking if we would consider a donation to the Sewing Club, we knew there was something special about this program,” said Dania Ferguson, marketing coordinator and a member of the bank’s Sponsorship Review Committee. Meeting the students of the club, like 10-year-old Ashanti Smith who joined after Wilson visited Cleveland Eneas Primary, reaffirmed the Committee’s instincts about the club whose activities they had been monitoring.
Founded by Wilson, who goes by the nickname Lemon and her mother, Michelle Burrows, the Sewing Club has grown from a volunteer Saturday morning activity to a course that meets several times a week after school. Students who are able to pay contribute to cover the cost of fabric and supplies. Classes on Saturday are still free. And packed.
“We never expected it to take off like this,” says Wilson, whose love of sewing is as contagious as her smile. She is showing girls gathered around her how to measure and cut fabric. They lean over the large table, eager, absorbing lessons that begin with a reminder about how to handle scissors carefully and how to lay out a pattern before moving to the next room where the machines, including the five brand new ones, are lined up. It’s what they came for and they are ready to go. This isn’t just about a stitch in time – they are not interested in repairing old clothes. They want to make their own new clothes and each girl has a goal, some planning to make school uniforms, others more exotic ensembles. Queen’s College student Tylitha Thurston, 14, wants to make her own prom dress one day.
Wilson is also trying to attract students of either gender who want to join her auto upholstery class. While the idea of the club is to teach young people to sew as a hobby, several students said they now plan to sew professionally when they grow up.
“The concept of saving rather than spending through a program that teaches discipline and self-sufficiency is not only a seamless match for Bank of The Bahamas, but seeing it in action was a heart-warming experience,” said Laura Williams, corporate secretary and a member of the Sponsorship Review Committee.
The Sewing Club is among many recipients of the bank that has been lauded for its corporate giving. Earlier this year, Bank of The Bahamas held its first annual National Book Drive and played a leadership role in Haitian relief. The award-winning bank maintains branches throughout The Bahamas and a financial services centre in Coral Gables, Florida.
Diane Phillips & Associates
