Leigh Canada fostered and later adopted a 4-year-old girl in 2004, providing her with a loving home where she excelled in gymnastics until her unexpected death at the age of 18. Inspired by her daughter’s vibrant spirit, Canada founded Emonie’s Closet, transforming her grief into a non-profit that grew from her garage into a mobile clothing unit for foster kids and others in need.
It was an all too familiar story. Five-plus foster homes in three years had led to a life of uncertainty and upheaval for a little girl just needing a family to call her own. Maybe it would be different the next time. Leigh Canada had already made the decision to foster a child, and in 2004, she opened her heart and her home to 4-year-old Emonie. “When she first came, she barely had anything—just minimal clothes, a red dress, shoes that were too small,” she said. “She was still a very bright, fun-loving child, but you could see how much her soul had been broken, even as a 4-year-old.” Canada and Emonie “adopted each other” two years later.
“I always called her my ‘Skittle baby,’” Canada said. “She was so full of life and colorful and flavorful and just put smiles on people’s faces.” Emonie took up gymnastics at age 5, and by the time the family of two had moved to Georgia, she excelled at the sport, eventually competing as a tumbler at the United States Junior Olympics as a 14-year-old.
Emonie was training to be a gymnastics teacher when, at age 18, she died unexpectedly. There were questions as Canada worked through her grief. “It took me about a year to figure life out a little bit,” she said. “You’re just not sure what to do, as a parent losing a child and keeping their clothes and stuff like that.” She was certain she wanted to honor her daughter by “finding a way to do good.” Knowing Emonie’s love for kids and their shared experiences with foster care, Canada decided to start a non-profit that would provide clothes to foster children. She would call it Emonie’s Closet.
Growing up in small-town West Medford, Massachusetts, Canada had learned from her mother the importance of giving back to the community. From her father, she acquired a knack for entrepreneurship. Together, these values and skills, along with a near four decades-long career with AT&T as a project manager, would serve her well as she prepared to launch this special non-profit.
“Our mission is to help lift a person’s life through clothes.
Leigh Canada
In 2019, the year after Emonie’s death, Canada surveyed her small home. “There’s no way I can stock a clothing closet here,” she concluded. Canada then sold her house and bought a bigger one. “I converted my garage into—literally—a closet,” she said. Donated clothes were organized by size and gender, and foster kids and parents were invited in for a free “shopping experience,” as Canada calls it. Emonie’s Closet was officially open for business.
When asking for donations initially, Canada struggled to tell the still painfully fresh story of why she started Emonie’s Closet. However, she came to realize that if the non-profit was to be successful, she would need to “pivot” from treating it like a personal mission to running it more like a business. “It was telling the story and humbling myself to say, ‘Hey, I need help,’” she said, “so I was able to bring that wall down and welcome people into Emonie’s Closet.” Her self-talk mandate was clear: “You need volunteers. Let’s do this. Let’s expand.”
As donations increased, so did the need for space. “I was growing out of the garage,” Canada said. When recipients were unable to come to her, as was often the case, she would determine size and preference, pack her car with clothes and deliver them. Still, Canada wanted to do more. “I wanted to expand and be more mobile,” she said. Finally, in 2024, she was able to accomplish both objectives. “Through donations and working hard, I was able to get the mobile clothing closet,” she said. The exterior of the converted step van is a vibrant kaleidoscope of color. A silhouette of Emonie performing a one-handed handstand, an image captured by her mom at the beach, serves as a fitting logo. Inside, a brightly lit sign hangs prominently on the wall: “Closet of Champions,” a sentimental nod to her gymnast daughter and an encouraging visual for those ascending the steps to receive free clothes. For those lacking the means to dress well, a new set of clothes can be a much-needed boost in self-esteem and confidence.
“Our mission is to help lift a person’s life through clothes,” Canada said. Though her initial focus was on foster kids, the door to Emonie’s Closet has opened much wider. “I don’t say no, if someone needs clothes,” she said, “whether they’re in foster care or not.”
Though Canada still accommodates one-on-one requests, she has seen the impact of Emonie’s Closet multiplied through participation in various events held throughout several metro counties, including Newton, Rockdale and Walton. While other sources supply backpacks and school supplies at “Back-to-School” events, Canada meets a different need. “We take racks of clothes, and kids are able to pick them out the first day of school,” she said. “It’s usually like three pairs of pants, five shirts, new socks, something like that.” Schools and parks serve as venues for “Dress for Success” events where Canada often collaborates with other non-profits who offer resume and job interview workshops. In 2024, Canada partnered with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office to supply work clothes for graduates of its work-release program. After Canada’s brother, Bryan, a truck driver, died in 2020, Emonie’s Closet used dedicated donations to fund a CDL scholarship program at Georgia Piedmont Technical College in his honor.
Canada has major plans for the future.
“We have the ‘Shopping Experience’ program,” she said. “Now I want to take that to the next level through partnering with other non-profits to incorporate vocational training programs.” When asked what she needs to get there, she quipped, “Volunteers are good. Donations are better.” Canada will be “thinking outside the box” in 2025, as she looks for additional streams of income to fund her vision. Plans are underway to utilize the mobile closet for “Emonie’s Dress-Up Dream Parties,” where, for a fee, “kids [will] dive into a magical experience where they dress up, create memories and celebrate in style.” A portion of the proceeds from Canada’s Leighism Aromatherapy company already goes to support Emonie’s Closet.
“My purpose has always been about community and serving,” she said.
That has not changed since Canada moved from Loganville to Porterdale in 2023. She loves the small-town feel and the “bones of stories” its historic buildings embody. When not in use, the mobile “Closet of Champions” sits parked alongside three 20-foot clothing storage containers on a donated parcel of land in downtown Porterdale—Canada’s base of operations. She knows her daughter would be proud of her for finding her way through grief to serve others. It was perhaps her second year in business when Canada at last decided to take Emonie’s personal clothes and add them to the Closet.
“When I first noticed a child pick up her sneakers, it warmed my heart,” she said. “I didn’t get sad or depressed. I was just like, ‘Ok, they picked something of Emonie’s.’ It made me feel like the choice I made was the right one.”
For information on Emonie’s Closet, visit emoniescloset.org.
Click here to read more stories by David Roten.
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