Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 18

SE WING H O P E
Anne Marie Martin Rousselle ’66
Dresses Girls Around the World
hen she was a child, Anne
Marie Martin Rousselle
’66 fell in love with the art
of sewing. She spent her
afternoons watching her mother
sew strips of old cloth into beautiful
blankets while American Bandstand
played in the background. Before
long, her affinity for sewing by hand
became evident and she began using
those same strips of cloth to make doll
clothes and blankets.
W
After graduating from TA in 1966,
Anne Marie continued to find ways
to express her creativity. In her early
career, she landed a spot as a “floor girl”
at a Nike factory and helped distribute
work to stitchers. She spent most of her
career as an administrative professional
in educational settings, including 11
years in Thornton Academy’s Guidance
Department! While she loved her work,
her retirement has allowed her to turn
her heart and hands to helping others,
stitching quilts, pillowcases, and baby
bedding for charitable organizations
such as the Ronald McDonald House
in Portland. She also regularly joins the
Saco Grange Quilters who are working
to create 80 pillow cases for children
being cared for at the Barbara Bush
Children’s Hospital—a project that will
likely take a year or more to complete.
Heidelbaugh, a recent graduate of
Thornton Academy Middle School
(TAMS) and member of TA’s class of
2023, helps out. Claire is learning to
sew alongside her grandmother and
has already completed a dress herself.
In 2016, Anne Marie learned about
Dress a Girl Around the World, a
campaign that is part of the work of
Hope 4 Women International. The
campaign’s mission is to bring dignity
to young women in developing nations
by providing beautiful, hand-stitched
dresses. Each dress that Anne Marie
stitches together is meant to show
recipients, mostly young girls, that
they are worthy of respect and love.
A small tag is stitched to the front of
each dress, strategically placed to show
their affiliation with the non-profit
organization—part of an effort to
protect vulnerable children. Periodically, these hand-made
creations are collected and distributed
to various countries by missionaries
and other service workers. “The best
part is seeing pictures of my dresses
on those beautiful little girls,” admits
Anne Marie. “To think that the fabric
they wear was in my hands and in my
home; in Saco, Maine! And now they
wear it, and hopefully feel a bit more
loved and cared for because of it.” Anne
Marie continues to stitch in support of
various projects and is committed to
put her talent to good use—sewing and
sending hope to girls around the world.
As soon as she learned about Dress a
Girl Around the World, Anne Marie
started sewing! Along with friends and
relatives, she has completed 474 simple
yet creative dresses made from donated
fabric. Even her granddaughter, Claire If you are interested in volunteering as
a sewer or donating fabric, feel free to
contact Anne Marie at 207-282-4556.
You can learn more about Dress a Girl
Around the World on their website:
dressagirlaroundtheworld.com.
Anne Marie Martin Rousselle ‘66
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Story By Roberta Sargent Gallant '62 & Katie Beane · Photos Courtesy of Anne Marie Martin Rousselle '66 & Dress A Girl Around the World