Carrying on a Daughter’s Mission Through a Pandemic
Before the coronavirus shutdown halted everything including donation drives and turned proms into virtual preparations, Lexie’s Gift provided prom attire and children’s clothing to those who needed it.
With in-person proms now canceled, Lexie’s Gift has transitioned to finding other ways to help the community during the pandemic.
Instead of handing out bedazzled shoes and matching handbags, Barbie Marcoe said she’s now working behind the scenes to fund the making of masks and sponsoring meals to feed the community.
Marcoe is running a GoFundMe in partnership with the Northern Nevada Mask Coalition, which is comprised of local businesses, seamstresses, community members and 3D printer operators, to provide funding for the local production and distribution of masks.
“We all have a role in Northern Nevada’s public health and economic recovery. In order to bring our economy back to life, everyone needs to be #maskedup to avoid more crippling shutdowns and to ensure we keep our community and medical staff safe,” the GoFundMe she’s a part of says.
Behind the Scenes
“We are not taking credit for any of that because these are all personal groups that are just getting together and our ideas is just to be behind the scenes and help them keep in supplies and get the disposable masks for the people who need them,” Marcoe said of her #Maskup collective endeavor.
In normal times, Lexie’s Gift provides free prom attire for those who can’t afford all of the luxuries of the special night. Lexie’s Gift also usually distributes gently used clothing and shoes for children, teens and young adults and daily necessity items like hygiene products.
Partners for different donation drives and initiatives in the past have included Volunteers of America, the Veterans Resource Center, Bristlecone Family Resources, The Eddy House, Project 150, Casa de Vida, the Libby Booth Elementary School, Women and Children of the Sierra, Project Sweet Dreams, The Ridge House and Our Center.
“Lexie lost her life in a car accident right before her 30th birthday. She was one of those people who believed that people deserve a gift rather than a handout and that's why we have the name, “Lexi's Gift.” She was doing clothing drives when she was in third grade. She just liked people to be able to feel cute and she thought it was a big thing,” Marcoe said. “We realized that it did make a difference in these people's lives that she was touching. So when she passed, we needed to remember her, but we also needed to make sure that all the good things she had done were continued and that we didn't lose sight of that.”
Current Challenges to Lexie’s Legacy
“[Lexie] would love that this community is doing great things in her name,” Marcoe said in an earlier interview with Our Town Reno. “I think she'd be pretty proud of all of us. “
Marcoe said she’s not able to accept new donations at this time because of the health logistics involved. She said she’s worried because usually around this time of year she’s providing clothing for spring and summer.
"We have a lot of kids at home right now who are used to a lot of organizations, not just ours, that provide, not just clothes but shoes, you know, kids' feet grow. So, shoes and spring things because a lot of these kids don't have clothes from last year because they moved from motel to motel. They don't have a drawer full of last season's stuff. So all of us, not just Lexie's Gift, but all of us are going to be insanely busy when everything opens back up," Marcoe said.
Marcoe usually provides high school students with what she calls a fun and dignified free prom fashion experience, including hundreds of dresses to choose from.
Buying New Clothes Instead of Donations
“I think it's going to be really questionable to be honest," Marcoe said in regards to collecting donations in the future.
She is still using funds and getting others to purchase new clothing though.
"When you see these three dollar t-shirts at Old Navy, that's what we're trying to buy. We're trying to buy up in quantity. We're asking people please buy new stuff. If you can, if you see it, it's on a great sale and you can afford to do it, please buy new stuff, have it shipped directly to your favorite charity so that we're not having to have stuff that's been in your storage. We're all going to be very careful on this kind of stuff because we can't afford for this to come back," Marcoe said.
She urges the community if they are doing spring cleaning, to hold on to and organize their items to donate later.
"We've got to pull together. This is not political. This is just a community and we have seen extreme efforts come out of this community. We have so many mask makers that when you ask me, 'How many masks do you think are going out?' I can't even answer because we have so many people,” she said of current efforts.
“We have people learning to sew so they can make masks. We have businesses who are barely keeping their doors open, making meals for people. I think as a community, we're rocking this. We really are. We just need to be patient. More than anything, this is always my motto: We just need to be kind because everyone is living this a different way. “
A Final Message to the Community
“Some people are fearful of losing their jobs. Some people have lost their jobs. Some people have had their hours cut. We just need to continue to be kind,” Marcoe said as her message to the community.
“We're getting there. We can see things coming together. But we got to take care of these kids that are living this, that are home with nervous parents. As lovely as everything sounds, it's hard being home with your kid 24/7. We've got to do what we can to help these families get through this,” she said always emphasizing families in need.