Lucy Schmadeke, a Springfield High School sophomore who turns 15 this weekend, is determined to "be like Emma."
The late Emma Shafer, Lucy's babysitter for five years, inspired Lucy's love of the arts, performing and big cities, along with her drive to make the world a better place.
"Emma was like a sister to me; in fact, people would mistake us for sisters," said Lucy. "Last July (when Emma died) was very hard for me, and I knew I needed to do something to carry on her legacy."
Combining her love of fashion, dedication to sustainability and realization that not all girls her age can afford formal dresses, Lucy organized the Be Like Emma – Dress Resale Aug. 24 at the Grant Conservatory of Music and Dance. The event featured gently used homecoming and prom attire and raised $560 for the Emma Shafer Peace and Justice Fund. Fifteen donated dresses were sold, but many remain, so a second sale is planned for Saturday, Sept. 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Wild Rose Artisans Gallery and Boutique in downtown Springfield.
"We had a lot of interest from girls looking for an affordable dress," said Melissa Hansen-Schmadeke, Lucy's mother. "We were so fortunate to receive many donated dresses. Monica Zanetti, owner of Wild Rose Artisans, knew Emma and is giving us some space for a second sale. We're grateful to her, and to Taryn Grant of the Grant Conservatory, for hosting the first sale and storing the remaining dresses."
Homecoming dresses sold for between $20-$50. The second sale will feature homecoming dresses only, and a third sale featuring prom dresses is planned for January. "Girls (at the first sale) were very interested in the prom dresses but not ready to commit just yet," said Melissa.
She noted this isn't the first time her daughter has been inspired to action by Shafer, who was known for her community advocacy, local theater performances and love of international travel.
"They first met when Lucy was 2, and when she was 5 and Emma got her driver's license, that's when they were together a lot. Emma would pick her up after school, feed her a healthy snack and take her to dance and piano classes. She'd help her prepare for recitals and took her to the library, Muni, Theatre in the Park and other performances. Lucy definitely picked up on Emma's dedication to making the world a better place."
During the pandemic, Lucy became concerned about residents of homeless shelters not being able to socially distance and requested that for her birthday, family and friends donate to Helping Hands of Springfield. At age 7, her cause was the Animal Protective League. She and Emma set up a lemonade stand to raise money for APL, and Lucy asked for donations to APL in lieu of birthday gifts.
"Lucy is a genuinely kind and caring person," says her mother. "Emma taught her how to channel that into volunteerism."
Lucy is also an honors student, a member of the District 186 Superintendent's Student Roundtable, Springfield High School Student Council and the physician preparatory program at SIU School of Medicine. This summer, she traveled to New York City as a member of the National Youth Leadership Forum for Healthcare. She has her eye on attending New York University on the way to becoming a pediatrician.
Lucy, a member of the Springfield Youth Performance Group, shares her love of dance with children at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois and Enos Elementary School.
Cathy Schwartz, Emma's mother, said Lucy and her daughter had a special bond.
"I remember that Emma was so excited to become Lucy's babysitter; she made plans to take her to the Lincoln sites and other local attractions. Emma worked to fight injustices, and she passed a lot of those feelings on to Lucy. I think it's healing for Lucy to do something in Emma's honor, and helping girls get affordable dresses ... that's something Emma would be proud of.
"By the way, the dresses available for sale are breathtaking and beautiful," said Schwartz.
Lucy noted that sale tags are still on some of the dresses. "Some girls didn't get a chance to wear them because of the pandemic," she said.
She says it makes her "heart happy" to see girls get the dresses they love. "Rather than be sad about Emma, doing this has helped me embrace her. Emma taught me to help the community, which is what I want to do. Emma wanted her community to be better every day. If there was a problem, she wanted to fix it. She is still very important to me. I hope she'd be proud."
For more information, email belikeemmadressresale@gmail.com.
Lynn Whalen has a background in broadcast journalism and higher education public relations and marketing, most recently as chief communications officer at Lincoln Land Community College. She also serves as president emerita of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.