Jun. 20, 2016
While preparing for Jack James High School’s graduation celebration, staff at the school realized that there were many young men who were in need of assistance in acquiring the clothing for this very special event in a student’s life.
The CBE’s Cinderella Project provides teenaged girls in need the opportunity to realize their dreams for high school graduation, by providing graduation gowns, shoes, hair, makeup and jewellery. The girls are treated like princesses by the “godmothers” who organize and run the event. The staff at Jack James High School began to search for a way to offer the same kind of pampering to the young men in their school who were in need of suits, shirts, ties, belts and shoes for their big day.
In 2015, a young hockey player from central Alberta donated four beautiful suits to the school. Many hockey players have to dress up for game day, and as this young man had moved up through the ranks of the hockey world, and had accumulated many suits that he had out-grown. He delivered them in suit bags, with shirts, belts and ties to match. Jack James was able to provide the suits to four young men for their grad that year.
Inspired by the generosity of this young man, Jack James staff reached out to the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. The teams that operate under the umbrella of this organization include the Calgary Flames, the Calgary Hitmen, the Calgary Roughnecks and the Calgary Stampeders.
Joanna French, the assistant manager of Communications with Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, received the request to help suit up the “Prince Charmings” of Jack James High School with open arms. She simply replied “We have been looking for a way to help in this area, and we would love to, let me see what I can do.”
Three months later, and just a few message passed back and forth, and Joanna and Brad Curle, the Hitmen broadcast and communications coordinator came through in a big way! Joanna and Brad pulled up to the front of Jack James High School on a school day in May with their truck loaded with designer suits, shirts, ties, belts, shoes and socks for our boys.
Students were asked to come down to the staffroom where all of the clothing had been placed on coat racks and hung out for easy selection. A private room for trying on the clothing was supplied, and the boys were allowed to shop and try on as much as they wanted before the next student was called down. Two staff members from Jack James were there to help fit the students, give opinions and fetch the next selection of clothing for trying on.
Each and every one of the young men entered the room surprised at the quantity and quality of the clothing available to choose from. What the staff found most amazing was how, like a miracle each boy was able to find the suit they wanted with little or no alterations required. In total, 21 young men were completely outfitted from head to toe in the week leading up to their graduation ceremony.
Because of the generosity of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and their families, the 2016 Graduating class had the most handsome young men ever. The smiles on the faces of the boys and their families is something too big to measure.
Jack James High School would love the Calgary Community to know what a great gift the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation has given to the young Prince Charmings of our school and personally wish to thank Joanna French and Brad Curle for their very special delivery!
