Prom is an evening that many Juniors and Seniors look forward to all year long, and finding the perfect dress is part of the fun and the challenge. One group of parents, has made that task a little easier with the Prom Closet.
The Prom Closet has been organized off and on for the past few years. It was created as a way to raise funds for the After Prom Party and to provide new and gently used dresses at a discounted price for girls looking to go to Prom.
One of the organizers this year Melissa Wallenstein said, “Our goal as parents is to provide a safe and fun after prom event. With events like the Prom Closet we are able to raise funds to give the kids a great evening of fun after the Prom concludes.”
Wallenstein said other organizers behind the prom closet this year are Kim Moore and Keri Hovaldt, along with help from other parent volunteers.
This year the Prom Closet features over 500 dresses. The dresses have been consigned or donated. Wallenstein said, “We offered 10 consignment days to allow people from the area to bring in their dresses. We allowed the consignee to pick the price of the dress. We offered both options to either consign the dress or just donate the dress.”
After Prom makes $50 on every dress sold. If the dresses don’t sell the seller has the opportunity to come pick up the dress at one of the two pick up dates available or they will be given to a local charity to help the less fortunate girls who can’t afford a prom dress.
Prices for the dresses at the Prom Closet range from $50 to $250, with the majority in the $150-$250 price range.
Wallenstein said people travel as far as Brookings, Hanson, Madison, Luverne and Platte.
Watching the girls pick out the dress of their dreams is the best part said Wallenstein.
She said, “This past Saturday we had a young girl from Baltic tell me she was a tom boy and didn’t like the frilly, blingy, sparkly dresses. I asked her if she would just try on a pink ball gown that had some shimmer and sparkle to it. She turned her nose up and said ‘okay, but I know I’m not going to like it’. She came out of the dressing room with it on with a huge smile on her face and said ‘this is the one’. These are the moments that make all our time and energy worth it, when we help these girls find ‘the one’.”
The Prom Closet is located at the Lennox Intermediate Cafetorium located at 305 West 5th (corner of 5th and Cedar). They will be open the following days and times: Jan. 28 from 9am-2pm, Jan. 29 from 1pm-5pm, Feb. 1 from 6pm-8pm, Feb. 8 from 6pm-8pm, Feb. 11 from 9am-12pm, Feb. 12 from 1pm-5pm, Feb. 18 from 9am-12pm, Feb. 19 from 1pm-5pm, Feb. 25 from 9am-2pm, Feb. 26 from 1pm-5pm, Pick Up Days will be March 1 from 6pm-8pm and March 4 from 9am-12pm.
You can email the group for more information at lennoxoriolesafterprom@gmail.com.