A Queensland woman who missed out on her own formal because her family couldn’t afford it has become the state’s own fairy godmother, by providing outfits to over 10,000 students for free.
Tammy Robinson is an aged care worker, but in her spare time, she redistributes donated formal outfits to young people who may not be able to afford it.
For most students, the year 12 formal is a rite of passage, but for those with a tight budget, the cost can be a burden.
Growing up in social housing with a single mother and a tight budget, Robinson skipped her own formal after “feeling tired of not being enough and feeling different”.
“If I had had the opportunity to have someone provide me a beautiful gown, it would’ve been different, you know,” she said.
The initiative, Formally Ever After, was inspired by Robinson’s own struggle of being unable to find somewhere to donate her children’s formal outfits.
What started at her kitchen table has transformed into a statewide movement, with the initiative now supporting over 220 schools.
Robinson still operates from the downstairs level of her home as a “one woman team with the community behind (her),” managing 64 drop-off locations.
“You don’t always have to have money to help, (the) most important thing we can give each other is time,” she said.
The initiative has even expanded to provide recycled clothing for for brides-to-be, homeless individuals and those struggling.
Robinson described her work as a “full circle moment” that has kept her going through tough times, including fires, floods and personal grief.
“If I hadn’t been doing the program, I don’t think I would’ve survived through all of that,” she said.
“Every time I dressed someone – that healed my heart a little bit more.”
Images: Instagram
