U.S. graduates turn regalia into PPE; Wear the cap, donate the gown

Video Credit: Reuters Studio
Published on May 6, 2020 - Duration: 02:17s

U.S. graduates turn regalia into PPE; Wear the cap, donate the gown

Gowns 4 Good, a charity started by frontline physician assistant Nathaniel Moore, is asking graduates to donate their gowns to more than 77,000 frontline responders on Gowns4Good.net.


U.S. graduates turn regalia into PPE; Wear the cap, donate the gown

In this year's mostly virtual commencement ceremonies, thousands of American graduates are adorning their mortarboards with the slogan "Gowns 4 Good" after donating their gowns to healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic to use as personal protective equipment.

Gowns 4 Good is the name of a charity started three weeks ago by Nathaniel Moore, a frontline physician assistant in Burlington, Vermont, who is asking graduates to donate their gowns to more than 77,000 frontline responders and others who have registered for the regalia on Gowns4Good.net.

Across the country, school graduations have been canceled to abide by social distancing rules, including Moore's own ceremony at the University of Vermont, where he was earning an MBA with a focus on sustainability.

"I've heard the horror stories of healthcare workers lacking the personal protective equipment to keep safe," Moore, 30, said in a video on Gowns4Good.net.

After researching Centers For Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for PPE in times of shortage, he launched the nonprofit with the slogan, "Wear the Cap, Donate the Gown." Gowns worn backwards, with the zippered opening in the rear and the high collar in the front, fit the CDC requirements for covering "critical zones," including forearms, chests, stomach and waistline, Moore said.

In keeping with the tradition of graduates decorating their caps to express their individuality, those who donate their gowns are using the Gowns 4 Good logo to draw attention to the cause.

On Wednesday (May 6), Gowns4Good.net listed more than 77,000 gowns requested by medical facilities, more than 4,200 gowns donated by individuals and more than 1,500 gowns donated by institutional partners, including a regalia manufacturer.

Nearly 4 million people are expected to graduate from U.S. colleges in the 2019-2020 academic year, according to educationdata.org.

With much of the nation locked down, hundreds of schools have announced they will either cancel, postpone or stage virtual ceremonies.

Before the crisis hit the United States, Graduation Source in Greenwich, Connecticut, one of several cap and gown suppliers nationwide, received about 2 million orders for regalia for this spring's graduation season, a spokesman said.

But the cancellations of graduation ceremonies have been changing that number daily, he said, although he declined to release an updated number.

Even gowns that students wear for a virtual graduation in the living room or back yard can be donated as PPE.

Among the most poignant donations were gowns sent by parents who included notes saying their sons and daughters died years ago, before they had a chance to graduate, and their regalia was just too precious to give away - until now.

"This is the best way that they see fit," he said.

"They're honoring their sons and daughters lives by donating to this wonderful cause." (Production by Roselle Chen and Barbara Goldberg)

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