Struggling to find your prom outfit? The ‘Cinderella Dress Drive’ may be the best solution for you.
The ‘Cinderella Dress Drive’ is an initiative by Parkway Central’s Sister Project to help students find dresses or other outfits for prom. The club welcomes all students to donate new or gently used dresses, paint suits, shoes, or accessories so that students who may not be able to afford these items can get them for free. Donation bins are located in the upper commons.
“We hope to take pressure off of girls and make them feel better about themselves,” sophomore Michelle Khalfin said. “And help girls find the perfect dress for prom and feel beautiful in it.”
However, students can donate a lot more than dresses; they can also donate heels, jewelry, accessories, you name it. The goal is to make prom more affordable and thus, equitable for all students.
“Prom is super expensive — and, so, not everyone can afford dresses, hair, makeup, nails, everything,” Freshman Riley Roberson said. “We’re just hoping that this will at least take a little bit of the load off, if not all of it.”
Once all the donated items have been collected, the Sister Project club members will set up a boutique, where all the donated items will be available to “purchase” (for free). Students can shop the racks and pick their dress or accessory of their choice.
“We’re going to help the girls try on the dresses and the accessories and hopefully help girls who are struggling get dresses for prom,” Khalfin said.
The impact of the Dress Drive extends far beyond the student body. Roberson believes that the Dress Drive will be beneficial to parents as well.
“A lot of parents feel guilty that they can’t do as much for their kids as they would like to,” she said. “So, it doesn’t just help the students here at PCH, it also helps the mothers and fathers.”
The donation period for the drive ends on April 5th. The boutique is open up until prom for anyone who wants to get items. Students can not only use these outfits and accessories for prom, but for other future formal events such as graduation. There will be no charge for any of the items.
