DOCTORS INLET – Prior to her retirement, Holly Scheff went searching for something she would love as much as she did teaching elementary school.

When her daughter told her about the ministry Dress a Girl Around the World, Scheff was able to combine three things she holds dear.

“I want my life to count for something more than playing Scrabble and shuffleboard. I love teaching, I love children and I love to sew,” said Scheff, who started the Jacksonville-area chapter of Dress a Girl Around the World two years ago with two other women at Pinewood Presbyterian Church on Knight Boxx Road.

The program is an outgrowth of the Forest City, Iowa-based Hope 4 Women International. Today, the local chapter has grown to about 15 volunteers who meet once a month to sew, cut patterns and fabric and package the finished dresses for shipment. By the end of August, Scheff and her sewers will ship out their 1,000th dress to children in developing countries.

“When we send these dresses out, we send a message,” Scheff said. “These dresses are tangible expressions of God’s love to this little girl. As these dresses go, we want them to know that a man or woman far away cares for them and made this dress for them.”

Scheff connects with missionaries who deliver the dresses to children on behalf of Dress a Girl Around the World. Dresses made in Clay County have been shipped to Zimbabwe, Uganda, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti and many other countries.

“This may be the first dress they’ve ever owned,” said volunteer Connie Gooden.

Dresses are packed in storage bags to allow missionaries to easily store them in their carry-on luggage. “We ask that they take a picture of the girl getting the dress,” Gooden said.

When vetting missionaries to assist in distributing the dresses, Scheff said, it all begins with a conversation.

“It’s word of mouth and it’s me asking them the purpose of why they’re going to a particular country,” Scheff said.

Dress a Girl Around the World volunteers make three styles of dresses – tie-strap dresses, elastic strap dresses and t-shirt dresses. Last year, the Clay County group sent 100 dresses to Ecuador where the temperature never drops below 80-degress Fahrenheit.

“We use bright colors made of 100 percent cotton,” Scheff said. “We don’t want it to be white because it’s likely going to be washed in a river.”

Scheff said when the program first started, she tried not to worry about where the supplies would come from.

“We are very fortunate in that people have contributed and given us fabric, so the Lord has supplied,” Scheff said. “We really do believe this is a ministry that God has called us to.”

Dress a Girl Around the World teaches volunteers about some of the rules of other cultures. For example, Dress a Girl Around the World prohibits animal patterns and cartoon characters on the fabrics because of the fear a particular animal may cause a child to have. Some cultures require girls’ shoulders to be covered as well, she said.

On the front of each dress is a tag showing the Dress a Girl Around the World logo, which Scheff said, sends a message.

“The dress serves as a layer of protection,” Scheff said. “It signifies this girl belongs to someone and is spoken for. When they see that Dress a Girl tag on the front, it will keep her from being sold into slavery.”

Each pre-teen dress is accompanied by a hand-sewn doll, which Scheff said, may be the only doll the child will ever receive.

“The girls get the dolls and they hug them because it’s just for them,” Scheff said.

Marsha Elmore of Green Cove Springs is proof no sewing skills are needed to volunteer with the program. She uses the Dress a Girl Around the World patterns to cut fabric and other supplies for sewing kits. Elmore has made more than 250 dress-making kits, which cost $10 each.

“I love my church and I am a retired teacher and I love children. I thought this was a terrific idea to help the little ones and this is something I can do at home,” Elmore said.

Scheff also welcomes new volunteers into the program and that membership at Pinewood Presbyterian is not a requirement to join. She said that love and a willingness to help others is all that is required.

“Our philosophy is, as we sew the dresses, we’re praying for the girls and for their safety and their provision,” Scheff said.

The next meeting of Dress a Girl Around the World is Sept. 16 at Pinewood Presbyterian Church at 198 Knight Boxx Rd.