Verrado teacher who loans handmade dresses for school dance honored with Pay It Forward

BUCKEYE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — We paid it forward to Rebecca Bryant, who makes sure students at Verrado Middle School in Buckeye feel comfortable at their formal dances. “She hung up posters and made announcements a couple of days before the dance and said if anyone didn’t have a dress, they could come and get one,” said student Emma Huffaker, who nominated Bryant. “My daughter telling me the story over dinner touched me. For her to give these kids something so they can go to the formal dance, I thought it was awesome,” added Emma’s father, John.

Mrs. Bryant is in her first year of teaching at Verrado, and she has over 30 formal handmade dresses for students who could use them. Erin was one of those girls and really appreciated her teacher’s thoughtfulness.

We walked up to Mrs. Bryant’s class to surprise her with the gift. “We have something for Mrs. Bryant. Emma could you tell her what you have?” said Paul Horton. “We have $500,” replied Emma. “This is for the dresses. It’s a Pay It Forward.” Bryant was touched by the thoughtfulness. “I appreciate it so much, thank you,” she said.

Providing young students with formal dresses can be expensive, and a lot of kids may skip an event because of it. Mrs. Bryant does this because she cares for her young students. “I know not everyone has the opportunity to dress up and be a part of our dances and stuff. I wanted to make sure everyone had that chance,” she said.

If you would like to nominate someone for our Pay It Forward award, just log on to our community page and fill out a nomination form.

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