Girl Sews Outfits from Classmates’ Old Clothes, Sends Invite to Each on Becoming Millionaire — Story of the Day

Ellie felt like she had lost everything when the tsunami hit her hometown. But thanks to her grandmother’s kindness, and a community that rallied around her, she was able to bounce back.

Ellie was only eight years old when a tsunami hit her old neighborhood. She had been out of town on a school trip when disaster struck. Her parents, Jude & Rachel, were lost during the tragedy.

“I’m so sorry, Ellie. Your grandma is on her way to pick you up,” Ellie’s teacher told her. With her house left in complete ruin, all Ellie had left was the bag she had packed for her school trip. Her grandmother, Louisa, welcomed Ellie into her home as the young girl had nowhere else to go.

Louisa lived in a different state to Ellie’s hometown, which meant that Ellie needed to transfer to a new school. She felt alone and isolated, away from her old friends and in a new environment. Louisa could tell her granddaughter was struggling and wished that she could help.

She was already retired and barely had enough money to cover their needs. To make matters worse, Jude & Rachel’s belongings were destroyed in the tsunami. Louisa couldn’t afford to buy Ellie new clothes.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ellie,” Louisa reassured her. Ellie was very embarrassed as she was growing taller, meaning that her clothes were visibly small. Ellie avoided attending class and would often hide in the bathrooms. After school, she would run home before her classmates could see her.

Ellie kept a notebook full of designs and often dreamed of how she would dress if she were rich. Meanwhile, Ellie’s teacher, Mrs. Roberts, began to notice her absence from classes. Her classmates also knew nothing about her or why she was never around.

“The new girl never talks to us,” one student explained to Mrs. Roberts. Mrs. Roberts decided to get to the bottom of the situation and called Louisa. That’s when the older woman tearfully explained to Mrs. Roberts that Ellie had lost everything and felt self-conscious.

“I’ve found some of her drawings. I think she’s ashamed that we can’t afford to buy her new clothes for school,” Louisa explained.

Mrs. Roberts felt guilt towards the young girl, who had already suffered due to the tsunami. She contacted the school’s parent-teacher association and requested that everyone donate clothes to Ellie.

Everybody in Ellie’s class chipped in, giving any old clothes that they could to help her. While the clothes weren’t perfect fits, Ellie was deeply grateful.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Roberts. This means the world to me,” Ellie told her teacher.

Ellie had the perfect plan to use the ill-fitting clothes to make something special.

Ellie’s mother, Rachel, was a seamstress and taught her daughter how to sew when she was very young. Ellie saw in old photographs that her mother had a brown sewing machine many years...