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Excitement reigns as girls choose free prom dresses
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
A large room in Boardman’s Evangel Baptist Church was filled with prom dresses in a rainbow of colors. Some were short, others were long. They were striped, polka-dotted, floral-patterned, and solid colors.
And they were all free.
Any girl who wanted a dress to wear to her prom was able to pick one at Saturday’s prom-dress giveaway. Wendy Kelso, a member of the church, provided free alterations. Girls also could pick out shoes, jewelry, purses and nail polish to go with their dresses.
The outreach project was the brainchild of Angela Ford, a member of the church.
Prom is an expensive venture, Ford noted. Tickets and dresses are costly.
“I just thought it was heartbreaking that there were girls who really wanted to go that just didn’t have the money to go,” she said. “And every little girl deserves the chance to dress up and feel like a princess and go to prom.”
Jasmine Vaught, 17, found a chocolate-brown dress that fit perfectly. The Cardinal Mooney High School student will attend her first prom in May.
“We really couldn’t afford the dress and the ticket,” she said. “So this way we’ll be able to just pay for the ticket, and I’ll already have a dress.”
Vaught also found a necklace and earring set to go with the dress. She was happy with her selection.
“I kind of thought maybe they’d have smaller dresses,” she said. “I’m more of a bigger size, so I thought the dresses might be too small, but this one is perfect.”
Clarion Adams, 17, found a dress she was happy with, too. She also was able to get a pair of shoes and a shawl that went with the black two-piece dress she chose.
“I thought I really wasn’t going to find anything, but I did,” she said.
Getting a dress for free makes it easier for her to attend prom, said Adams, a Youngstown Early College student.
“I think it’s great, especially in Youngstown, because times are hard, and people really can’t afford these expensive dresses,” she said.
Church members helped girls choose dresses and accessories to match.
“It’s so exciting. You get involved and you just get a chance to help them. I’m enjoying it. It’s a lot of fun,” Ford said. “Some of the girls walk out and the dress is perfect. I mean it just fits them as if it was made for them and you can just see it on their face. And it’s just a really cool experience.”
All of the items for the giveaway were donated. About 130 dresses were collected. The members of the church plan to make it an annual event.