Hagerty helps those in need with clothing, supplies

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole caused more than flooding and damage after they hit the Oviedo area in 2022; they caused need. Hagerty High School has responded.

Following the debilitating storms, from which parts of the city are still recovering, one Hagerty High School counselor saw students, faculty and staff in need of help and began taking action.

Erin Isaacs, who is in her 10th year as a counselor at the school, was already dealing with a damaged roof and flooding prior to the storms, only to see problems be exacerbated from the downpour the storms brought. When she returned to school following the storms, she saw she wasn’t alone.

“A lot of our kids were displaced … their homes flooded, their stuff ruined,” Isaacs said. “Some of it couldn’t be salvaged, so I kind of realized there’s a need for everybody. Everyone needed something.”

From that realization, Avalanche’s Attic was born.

Launched this school year, the program, named after Hagerty’s Husky mascot, is a one-stop-shop for anyone in the school’s community to pick out donated clothing, accessories, supplies and other essentials whenever they need, free of charge. It is located in a small, former teacher’s workroom on campus, and shares a space with the school’s food pantry. 

Behind the initiative

The Attic is run primarily by Isaacs and Hagerty senior Riley Von Hauptmann, who organize all of the donated items in the room so anyone at the school can pick out what they would like. 

“I thought [the origin of the idea] was really inspiring when Ms. Isaacs told me her story, and that really plunged me into the whole project,” Von Hauptmann said. “I was very invested from that point because I had family members who were affected, as well as neighbors.”

Available items include clothing — some even designer brand — shoes, makeup, purses, undergarments, hygiene supplies, hair products and more. 

“Everything’s based off of donations, and anyone on this campus can go in there and get it,” Isaacs said. “I don’t care if you are a teacher, custodial, in the dining hall, teacher admin, and especially the students.”

Even some large businesses have made sizable product donations, while those in the community have volunteered their time to make the Attic a reality.

Isaacs’ neighbor Jennifer Loveitt, whose son Blake is a sophomore at Hagerty, spoke with a representative from Estée Lauder at the Oviedo Mall (CHECK) and secured product donations. 

“The last thing [students] need to worry about is having the basic necessities, so I told Erin whatever I could do to help,” Loveitt said. 

In addition to the donations, Loveitt has helped with research, acquiring supplies like clothing racks and hangers and has even donated items herself.

“Putting it all on one person is definitely a big task to do,” she said. “So whatever I can do to help her was important to me.

“She just wanted to be able to provide for the kids in need,” Loveitt said. “She’s so passionate about it, and wanting to be able to help the community, especially her kids.”

After receiving a $500 Wishing Well grant from the school’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA), and putting in money of her own, Isaacs and Von Hauptmann went to work setting up the area, hanging clothing and supplies and getting the word out to the school community.

“We had a few donations to start out, and then when we officially launched it, we got so many more donations than we thought we were going to get,” Von Hauptmann said. “We were up to our ears in clothes and shoes.”

After hearing about the program, Nick Long, director of retail operations for the Orlando Magic, brought about 1,000 donated team tote bags for “shoppers” to be able to use. 

How it works

The Attic is open throughout the school day, and anyone can go in with adult supervision, Isaacs said.

“Just come shop, take what you need, take what you want, there’s no strings attached,” Von Hauptmann said. “There’s no ‘who should or should not be there.’ It’s for everyone. There is something for everyone there.”

While the attic is available to help those in need, it is open to anyone at the school, regardless of circumstances. To remove any stigma around utilizing the Attic, teachers have brought entire classes at the same time to have all students pick out items together, while school social workers have done similar.

“I’ve talked to a few people, there were a couple of girls in there who felt a little weird about it because they didn’t feel as though they needed anything,” Von Hauptmann said. “I’ve also heard from other people that they view it as just getting [items] out of someone’s closet so that it doesn’t go to waste, and I totally agree with them.”

Von Hauptmann said she’s planning on becoming an elementary school teacher after she graduates from college, and hopes this is a program she can bring with her, because everyone could use something, a sentiment that Isaacs stands behind.

“I wanted to make sure that the kids have what they need, the faculty, staff, everybody has the opportunity to get things that they want and things that make them feel good,” Isaacs said. 

With the program being born from the aftermath of major storms, Isaacs said she hopes to be able to provide items in a quick and easy way following future storms and disasters utilizing Avalanche’s Attic.

While they have received an overwhelming amount of support and donations — Isaacs said her garage is full of bags of items at the moment — donation inquiries are always welcome. If you are interested in donating to the Attic, you can email Isaacs at erin_isaacs@scps.k12.fl.us.

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