Support Students through Graduation Gown Donation Drive
Current students, faculty and staff: Please share this opportunity with alumni you are connected with!
Alumni: Here is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of current students. Many of our students face financial challenges, and as graduation approaches, the cost of purchasing a graduation gown can be an additional burden.
Academic & Career Advising, the McCall Center for Civic Engagement, the Finders Keepers Free Store and Alumni Relations are launching the first annual graduation gown donation drive. Your donation can directly benefit students who otherwise might not be able to afford the cost of purchasing or renting a gown. Also, it is an opportunity for your graduation gown to be reused and contribute to a more sustainable community.
Your generosity can have a lasting impact on the lives of our students, helping to create a more inclusive, sustainable and supportive community. Regalia can be dropped off in-person or sent by mail; see details below.
Drop off regalia in person:
Finders Keepers Store
Drake House
2124 College Way
Forest Grove, OR 97116
Send regalia by mail to:
Academic and Career Advising
AuCoin Hall 129
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR 97116
Hear directly from students about the powerful impact your donation can have:
"As a recent graduate, having access to a free commencement gown would have been helpful for me, and students like me, who struggle to pay full price for this required item. As someone who struggled to get by as an independent student, having a free gown would have significantly reduced my stress level during one of the most stressful periods of my life. After donating my own graduation cap and gown to the Free Store, I also have a sense of satisfaction knowing that my own contribution is helping someone else this year. This program would be beneficial to all those involved!" -2023 Graduate
"Every year hundreds of thousands of people graduate college, and many of those people will buy a brand new gown for their graduation ceremony only for that gown to sit in a closet for years after. I am proud of my educational achievements and dedication to my studies, but I believe that my pride is exemplified through my whole being and the work I do going forward, not a gown that I will wear once to graduate. Access to a graduation gown is just one of many hurdles to displaying one's achievements to loved ones and to the community, and it would be helpful not to worry about that expense in the face of figuring out life after Pacific University. I hope to benefit from this new campaign and get the chance to pass that experience on to the next graduating class by donating my own gown post-ceremony." - 2024 Graduate