Chloe, 11, hopes 'girl has the most best Communion day ever' with dress donated to Cork Penny Dinners
An absence of price tags and a bitter-sweet atmosphere set Cork Penny Dinner’s Communion dress shop apart from other pop-up boutiques.
At a cursory glance, one could be forgiven for thinking these are just girls and boys enjoying your average Communion preparations. That is until the heartbreaking and equally painful stories jolt you back to reality.
This week saw the Caitríona Twomey Wellness Centre (CTWC) on James Street transformed into a free Communion dress shop for families down on their luck. The idea is that children can avail of dresses and suits free of charge without having to miss out on the exciting shopping experience associated with the milestone.
Chloe O’Leary from Douglas donated her Communion dress to help another child. The fifth-class pupil of St Columba's National School in Douglas finally got to celebrate the sacrament last year after it was put on hold due to covid.
She spoke to the at the CTWC which comes under the umbrella of soup kitchen charity Cork Penny Dinners. The 11-year-old said she wanted another girl to experience the same happiness she felt on her Communion day.
It was a quirk of fate that she had the chance to meet the young recipient’s mother on a visit to see the head of Cork Penny Dinners Caitríona Twomey.
“She hugged me and showed me a picture of the little girl in my dress on her phone," she said of the mum. "She looked so nice and was so pretty but she also had a big smile on her face. Her mum hugged me and said this was her daughter’s dream dress. She then thanked me for helping them. I hope the girl has the most best Communion day ever, just like I did."
Chloe had discussed the idea with her dad Ken before donating.
“Me and my dad were sitting down and looking at the dress,” she said. “We thought it would be nice to donate to a girl who didn’t have much. It made us think about how happy she would be, so I decided to give my dress to Cork Penny Dinners.”
Ken spoke of how giving back defied both their expectations.
“This has turned into something more magical than we could ever have realised,” he said. “Not only did this make a little girl happy, it also made Chloe’s day too which wasn’t what we set out to do.”
Caitríona Twomey said it was heartening to see children helping other children.
“A lot of children tried on that dress but it only fit that little girl. It was like it was meant to be.”
A number of businesses in Cork pulled together to ensure that every child is able to fulfill their dream of a special day. They included Casey's Furniture Shop who gifted each child a teddy bear to take home.
Volunteers at the shop, which will be open for the next two weeks, had one common objective — to ensure no child is made to feel different to their classmates on their big day. The facility was peppered with everything from dresses and prayers books to a variety of accessories.
Some 25 parents and children had the opportunity to enjoy ample time to make the most of selecting Communion clothes on the shop's opening day last Sunday. Six twin siblings and a young girl with special needs were among the children seeking help with Communion preparations.
Fellow volunteer Olive Morris said the opening of the pop-up shop was an emotional day for everyone in Cork Penny Dinners.
“It’s the only time when children will ever be that pure again. It doesn’t matter whose child it is. Every child you see in their Communion dress brings tears to your eyes.”
Eilish Kearney, who is also volunteering with the Communion dress initiative, said they were able to dress mothers in need as well.
“One woman was able to take a new dress, bag and shoes. You will make sure that your child has everything in the world before you start to think about yourself. This is the case with a lot of parents.
"What’s great about the pop-up shop is that the volunteers aren’t here to make a sale which means they have the time and patience to offer anyone who comes into the shop.”