Helping Others with Prom Dresses for All
5:10
Grades: 3 - 5
Video Description: Talented seamstress and Busy Bee Alterations Shop & Shoe Repairs owner, Maria Mathias is featured in this Impact story. Born & raised in Panama City, Panama, Maria and her son immigrated to the U.S. in 1986 to provide her family a better life. What she didn’t know then was that she would become a shining light on so many. Never having attended a Prom herself, she was inspired to help those who can’t afford to buy Prom dresses and she not only loans out beautiful and contemporary formals for free to students in need, but she also provides free alternations as well. This is Maria’s story, “Making Dreams Come True: Prom Dresses for All.”
Type of Video: Story*
Unique Video ID: Character-49**
Quick Ideas for Using the Video:
- Have students do a personal assessment for talents they have that could be shared to help others. Have them select one of their talents and develop an idea for how they could use it to help others.
- Have students discuss or journal about their response to Ms. Mathias’ story of coming to America and starting her business. Use the video in conjunction with your study of cultures, immigration, and community.
*Story videos employ a narrative form to highlight a topic, location, or practitioner in the area of study.
**The unique Video ID can be used to quickly locate a single video in the ET collection. This search function is designed to let teachers assign students to watch a specific video and have only that video appear as a search result. Just click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Then type in the Video ID as it appears above. Be sure to include the dash.
