A Gainesville non-profit has launched an initiative with two goals - raise money for the My Sister's Place shelter for women and help local high school students find an affordable and stylish prom dress.
It's called "Say Yes to the Prom Dress" and organizers are setting up what they call "pop-ups" at schools in Gainesville and Hall County.
Brandee Thomas, the Executive Director for My Sister's Place, said the idea was a natural, since the non-profit exists to serve women.
"Just thinking about our own prom experiences and how expensive they were, we wanted to come up with a way that we could offer a community service for students so they can still have a great prom but not break the bank," Thomas said.
The dresses have been donated to the charity's resale boutique, and volunteers have been busy for weeks sorting and pricing the donations, preparing them for resale at extremely low prices.
"We have lots of beautiful dresses in all sizes and styles...our dresses range in price from $10 [and] the most expensive would be $50," Thomas said. Most of the $50 dresses are brand new with store tags still attached.
So far, West Hall High School has hosted a prom pop-up shop and Chestatee High School has one scheduled on Saturday, March 16 from noon to 4 p.m. Thomas said she's working on details with other schools as prom season rapidly approaches.
"Our goal is to take the 'Say Yes to the Prom Dress' experience to different high schools throughout Hall County," Thomas said. "We want to take it to east, west, south Hall - we want to reach the whole county - and then our goal ultimately is for this to grow and that this can be something we can look forward to hosting every year."
To find out more about My Sister's Place Resale Boutique, follow this link.
Prom shoppers can also find low-priced shoes and jewelry at the prom pop-up shops.
Prom dresses are available in a rainbow of colors at the My Sister's Place Re-sale Boutique prom pop-up shops.
This high school student has found her prom dress. We're not showing her face because she wants her date to be surprised when he sees her on prom night!
My Sister's Place Re-sale Boutique is hoping lots of local high school women will say "yes to the dress" at one of their prom pop-up shops.
Volunteers put the finishing touches on a pop-up shop at West Hall High School.
Brandee Thomas, Executive Director for My Sister's Place, tags a dress for the prom pop-up shop at West Hall High School.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/3/768488/local-charity-raises-money-for-womens-shelter-with-low-cost-prom-pop-up-shops