Meet Our April Super Citizens

by Lisa Johnson, Staff Writer

Celebrating Reston kids who are making differences in our community!

Super Citizens Ryan and Quinn

Meet Ryan and Quinn, High School students who saw a need in their community and decided to make a difference. When Ryan and Quinn realized that they only used their formal suits once for school dances, they decided to find a way to get other teens access to formal clothes without having to spend money.

Together, they started Suits4Good, a local nonprofit organization that gets middle and high school students suits and formal wear that they need to participate in certain events. Because a new suit can cost hundreds of dollars, a lot of students often miss out on attending important events like prom or homecoming. Ryan and Quinn didn’t want their peers to miss out on making memories with friends, so they began collecting lightly used suits, sports coats, dress pants, ties, and shoes that students could access for free.

“It’s not a rental service,” Ryan explained, “If people want to return the suits so other people can use them they definitely can, but they can also keep them. There aren’t any strings attached. Anyone who needs a suit can have one.”

Ryan and Quinn have been happy to see how much people have donated since they began the organization in February of this year. Since then they have had formal wear drives at various high schools to collect formal attire. Quinn says, ”Personally, I’ve enjoyed our donation drives the most out of the entire experience. Being able to see so many people come together to support the cause has been such an amazing experience and I love every second of it.”

In addition to starting Suits4Good, Quinn and Ryan lead busy lives. Ryan is part of the Young Men’s service league and plays baseball. Quinn is the junior vice president of the Technology Student Association and is the founder and president of Indy Tutors, which provides free math tutoring to students. They are also both part of the Independence Unified Sports Program, which is a club to help students with special needs participate in sports. As they clearly lead busy lives in addition to keeping up with their schoolwork, Ryan and Quinn show how giving back to the community and showing kindness isn’t just something that we should do when we have extra time, it’s important to make time for it.

Find more information about Suits4Good at suits4good.com or follow them on instagram @suits4good

Do you know a young person in Reston under 18 who has made a difference in their community? Scan the QR code below to nominate them as a Super Citizen in an upcoming issue of The Reston Letter.