When senior Interact Club member Claire Diebold searches through her closet her eyes are always drawn to her homecoming 2010 dress. The strapless, red silk dress is on a hanger and will most likely never be worn again.
Diebold is not alone, many girls have multiple dresses for dances that they will never wear again. This is why Seaholm’s Interact Club is having their very first prom dress drive.“The Prom dress drive is a way to collect gently used prom dresses that can then be made available to high school students that can’t necessarily afford a brand new prom dress,” said Interact Club advisor Cheryl Shettel.
Interact Club President, senior Emma Davis came up with the idea over winter break.
“I woke up with the idea,” said Davis. “I was just like hey let’s do a prom dress drive.”
Interact Club will be collecting used dresses that people have worn to homecoming, sadies, or prom and donating them to people who can’t buy their own prom dress. The dresses must be in good condition and can’t need any repairing or cleaning.
The Interact Club is very excited about the idea, especially senior Margot Kriete.
“Dresses are expensive and there’s a lot of people who can’t afford them,” said Kriete.
Kriete plans on donating some dresses of her own and hopes that if the drive goes well that it will continue on to become a tradition at Seaholm.
“We are going to collect gently used prom and homecoming dresses and donate them to Hope Closet,” said Davis.
Hope Closet is a non-profit organization in Novi that collects used special occasion dresses throughout the year and gives them to underprivileged girls regardless of their financial situation.
To be able to receive a dress, the girl must make an appointment and prove that she is currently enrolled in a high school. Then a volunteer will serve as the girl’s personal shopper and help her pick out one dress plus an accessory.
According to the Hope Closet official website, last year they helped 500 girls go to their prom and are hoping to do the same in for prom 2011.
“I think everyone deserves to go to their prom, it’s one of those things that you will always remember,” said Diebold. “The prom dress drive allows those who aren’t as fortunate to get a dress to go.”
The drive is going to start after mid-winter break on February 28th and is going to end on March 11th.
Interact Club is very hopeful and wants to make sure that everyone who can donate will.
“I know there are a lot of girls out there with multiple dresses that they are not using,” said Davis. “If we could match the number of girls at Seaholm that would be amazing.”
Interact plans on having tables at the gym doors during x-block on Tuesdays and Thursdays for people to drop off their used dresses.
“I just hope that everyone will look through their closets and hopefully find a dress or two that they know they won’t wear again that could find itself a new home,” said Shettel.
