Earlier this spring—specifically, the week of April 17, 2023—St. Mark’s, Claremont, lifelong member, Hazel Setzer, aged 96, met a milestone using the gift of sewing that God had given her in God’s call to her as a disciple. Hazel has worked for many years, sewing quilts at home and with the St. Mark’s quilting ministry, dresses, and other items to use herself and for others. But that week, Hazel sewed her 3,000th dress that will be given to a girl somewhere in the world. With the help of her daughter, Kathy Goodson, who cuts out the fabric pattern for each dress, Hazel sewed and then continued to sew more dresses that will be sent through the organization, Dress a Girl Around the World.

This organization is a Campaign under Hope 4 Women International (a 501c3 nondenominational independent Christian organization) bringing dignity to women around the world since 2006. Each dress has a special patch attached to the front of the dress. This dress with its special patch raises a girl’s dignity as well as how she is viewed by others in her community. It also indicates to predators that this girl is under the care of an organization stopping predators from taking the girl or hurting them. The dresses that Hazel has sewn have gone to Africa and many other places worldwide saving women and girls. Here are a few pictures of the dresses that Hazel has sewn including some of them on the females who received them.

To honor Hazel’s ministry and this milestone, St. Mark’s took a special offering during worship to help Hazel purchase fabric and thread for the new dresses she will be sewing. Fabric and thread costs are rising. Yet over all these years, Hazel through her own money and the gifts of others providing fabric and thread has continued to sew. It is their hope that through this generosity, Hazel will be able to sew many more dresses for many more years to come.