Prom night is an event that teens look forward to for years -- the chance to dress up in fancy clothes, to dance with their sweetheart, to ride around in a limousine. It's like a little taste of celebrity, a red carpet event for high school.
Not all teens who want to go to prom are able to, however. And it's not because they don't have the perfect date or a comfortable pair of dancing shoes. Every year, teens across the country miss their proms simply because their families or their foster parents cannot afford to get them beautiful outfits for prom night.
How can your family help? Individuals, groups, and communities across the country have been helping girls in their communities by collecting dresses and distributing them to needy teens. This is a great project if you have teenagers that can network with other teenagers to help acquire dresses. Your family can become part of this tradition, and give girls a prom memory that will last a lifetime.
Materials Needed:
Used prom dresses or donated dresses from bridal shops and local stores
Accessories
Hangers
Rolling clothes rack
Construction paper
Markers
Gift bag (optional)
Steps Involved:
- Homecoming usually occurs in the fall, and prom tends to happen in the spring, so it makes sense to schedule your event during those seasons.
- Find your dresses. Think about joining with other families to increase your inventory and volunteers. Ask local bridal shops if they have dresses to donate. Try local department stores. Search thrift stores, secondhand stores, and your own attic. Ask friends and family if they have any gently used but stylish dresses they'd be willing to donate. Make signs and (after getting permission) hang them at the local high school and community center asking for donations. Check with your local Volunteer Center. (1-800-Volunteer.org ) if they can provide publicity, sponsorship, a space to displace the dresses or just posting a flier at their site.
- Connect with your social services in town, your school's outreach workers or the local department of children and families. Tell them your idea of collecting prom dresses. Ask for their help in identifying girls that could use the dresses and on determining a suitable site to display the dresses. A school, a church or in a room at the department of children and families or human services.
- Advertise your "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Beautiful" collection and event in your town.
- Get the dresses ready for the girls. All dresses must be cleaned and in tip-top shape. Try connecting with local dry cleaners to clean your dresses. Give them credit in your publicity. Make sure you check that the zippers zip and the straps are all sewn on tightly, to help prevent an embarrassing situation later!
- Notify your constituents when and where they will be able to come and pick out their dresses, through flyers or through an agency you are working with. Gather all your dresses and hang them on hangers. Sort them by size, and hang them on your rolling clothes rack. Younger kids can use the construction paper and markers to make size tags for each of the dresses.
- Make sure the whole family has a role to play when the girls come to browse dresses. Family members with an eye for fashion can help give advice to girls who are having trouble deciding; other family members can help keep racks organized, take care of background music, or help with some other behind-the-scenes task to keep the event running smoothly.
- Ask local merchants or other families to donate NEW items for small gift bags. Inside you can put accessories, makeup, or jewelry — something that will add style to the prom outfit.
No matter where teens attend school, proms and homecomings are events to remember. They grow up watching older siblings and TV characters go to the fairy tale event; for years after graduation, most people keep prom as one of their most vivid memories of high school. Your family can help give girls the chance to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event. FamilyCares“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Beautiful” is more than just giving a girl a pretty outfit. It's helping girls create sweet prom memories of their own.
