Making Health Care Workers’ Dreams Come True With Dresses

Love a feel-good story about someone paying it forward...

Shannon Keil is CEO of the Regent, a popular space for weddings in Riverview. During the pandemic, the venue, like many businesses lost a lot of money. Often folks donate wedding dresses to the Regent, but since there weren't many weddings in 2020, the dresses went unused.

Shannon came up with a brilliant idea to give the dresses to first responders and frontline health care workers who were planning weddings.

For Shannon, the mission has special meaning. She contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic and almost died.

"I was in the hospital for seven days," she said. "My best friend and I got sick the same day, and she passed away. They were getting ready to put me in a high-pressure mask, which is one step away from being on a ventilator. My doctors weren't expecting me to walk out of there. It makes you appreciate life, but also the people in that room who were doing things to ensure I got out of there."

Thank goodness Shannon is on the mend. Business is back at the Regent and Shannon has expanded her dress donation program to include Hillsborough County school teachers and administrators.