West Palm Beach, Fla. – Palm Beach Lakes Community High School has taken a concrete step to help its diverse student body by opening the “Ramily Boutique,” a free resource center that provides essential items and hands‑on job training for students with disabilities.
What the boutique offers
The boutique stocks clothing, shoes, backpacks, toiletries such as deodorant and soap, and other donated necessities. Items are supplied by members of the local community who drop them off at the school. Students who need something simply scan a QR code posted around campus, request an item and receive an appointment email confirming availability.
Job‑training for exceptional‑student education participants
Operated by Exceptional Student Education (ESE) transition students, the boutique serves as a live‑learning lab. “Our students that will be deferring their diplomas from 18 to 22 are really getting retail experience with actual inventory—sorting, folding, washing, ironing, and keeping the storefront neat,” explained Issabella McCarty, the school’s job trainer. “Those are skills they can translate into real‑life employment and a better quality of life.”
By handling real inventory and interacting with customers, ESE participants develop punctuality, responsibility and customer‑service abilities that are directly marketable after graduation.
Principal emphasizes community need
Principal Rosalind Gray McCray highlighted the boutique’s role in addressing socioeconomic gaps. “We have a need. Our students come from all types of backgrounds, and some of those backgrounds, unfortunately, cause them to need clothing to be able to come to school, to fit in with the rest of the students and not feel left out,” she said. The free boutique ensures that no student is forced to miss class or feel isolated because of a lack of basic apparel.
How the community can help
The school is actively seeking monetary donations as well as new or gently used items to keep the boutique stocked. Parents, local businesses and residents can drop off contributions at the school office or arrange a pick‑up by contacting McCarty at [email protected].
By pairing charitable giving with practical job training, the Ramily Boutique embodies the values of faith‑based families and traditional communities: caring for neighbors, fostering self‑reliance and equipping the next generation with the tools they need to succeed.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
