Prom Gown Donation Organizations – For those with dresses to give AND those in need – Every girl should feel like a princess at her prom!

For this month’s DeClutter For Good event, I did some preliminary research online that pointed to a lot of sources. Read my summary of what I learned and think about how you can help make someone’s wishes for a magical prom come true!

Nationally ~  Becca’s Closet is a  prom dress organization with regional chapters.  Becca’s Closet was created to honor the memory of a lovely young lady. Though Becca died tragically at age 16 in a 2003 car accident, she lived a life of kindness and service during her lifetime. Here’s a quote from the site:

In the Spring of her Freshman year at Nova High School in Davie, Florida, Rebecca launched a dress drive to provide prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who could not afford to purchase them. Rebecca was a passionate, bright, fun-loving young woman who loved being with her friends and felt that no one should miss a high school event because they couldn’t afford to be there. She saw the inequity in the situation and sought to change things. During the Spring of her sophomore year, Becca single-handedly collected and donated over 250 formal dresses and helped hundreds of girls across South Florida attend their High School proms in style.

I found Becca’s Closet a particularly inspirational site that is taking their mission to the next level:

Although the core mission of Becca’s Closet was to collect and distribute dresses, our goals have expanded to offer additional opportunities for deserving young people. In the spirit of Rebecca’s visions and aspirations, our foundation fundraises to award educational scholarships to recognize the exemplary efforts of young men and women who demonstrate Becca’s spirit of generosity in their own communities.

Locally ~ There are several worthwhile organizations, as well. Because it is located on the North Shore, I’ve decided to give this year’s donations to The North Shore Fairy Godmother Project located at General Electric in Lynn.  General Electric has a service group known as the Elfun Society that runs this wonderful program. The fact that my father, now 84, was a member of the Elfuns during his 32 years of dedicated work at GE makes the connection all the more special.

The Fairy Godmother Boutique  Day  will take place on April 4th from 9am-4pm. Advance appointments are required. Click here to go the page about Getting a Dress.

To donate a dress, come to our Drop, Swap & Donate event this Sunday, March 22nd at Time Well Spent (click here for more details). Click here for alternative drop-off donation arrangements for the North Shore Fairy Godmother program.

Another North of Boston Option ~ Focused on the Greater Lawrence area, The Priceless Prom Gown Program does not require referrals for girls in need of a dress. Also, they’ve just announced an ongoing location, so that access to the dresses goes beyond their several stated boutique dates:

We will be set up at the Olde Andover Village shopping building, located at 89 Main Street, ANDOVER (RT 28). It is in the South Mall entrance thru the brick archway, next to Dunkin Donuts, & across the street from Bertucci’s. Appointments can be made per school as well as set boutique give-a-way dates.

Currently, dates are March 19th, & March 26th, from 6pm to 9pm. Dates for April are the 9th and 15th, 6pm to 9pm for both. Also, the Grand Boutique date of April 30th, at the Days Hotel & Conference Center on Pelham Street in Methuen. Located right off RT 93. Event begins at 5pm.

In Boston ~ With a major event taking place at Simmons College in Boston on April 18th, Belle of the Ball is a project of Anton’s Cleaners, a regional organization that continually supports the local communities through their cleaning and collection efforts.  Reflecting the larger scale of the Belle of the Ball event, this prom gown giving and receiving program has considerable sponsorship and support and will help an enormous number of teens in and around Boston. I look forward to seeing their results.

Get Involved! Help Make Dreams Come True…

Each of the referenced efforts requires the participation of many, many volunteers in addition to those who donate, so think about how you might help:

• Spend a minute passing along word of the programs by sharing this post with someone who could benefit from a new dress at no cost.
• Spend a minute passing along word to those whom you know might have prom gowns and gear to donate.
• Spend 10 minutes buying a gift certificate for hair-up-does or manicures.
• Spend an hour getting together and delivering some donations.
• Spend a day volunteering to help at one of the events.

So, whether you know someone with extra prom gowns and gear to donate or someone in need of that special dress (not to mention matching shoes, gift certificates for prom hairdos, manicures and other primping), contribute to making this year’s prom season special for area teens, whatever their circumstances.

Each and every young lady in the area should feel like a princess going to the ball!