Say yes to the dress
Kentville woman’s graduation dress inspires good deed
What was first thought of as a simple act of kindness is garnering more attention than Brittany Hayes could have ever imagined.
It all started with a genuine desire to help someone who might not have enough money to buy a prom dress. Hayes noted that a lot of the dresses she saw in resale ads were priced at $200 or $300.
“When I was that age, there was no way. My mom couldn’t have came up with that, and I couldn’t,” the 23-year-old Kentville resident said.
“I didn’t actually go to prom.” But Hayes would eventually have her own night to shine in a flashy red dress, the day she graduated from a makeup artistry program offered at MC College in Calgary.
“When I graduated from college, I got to get this dress and it was a huge deal for me because it was something I always wanted,” she said.
“It meant a lot to me.”
Now she’s hoping her dress can mean something special to someone else. Kentville resident Brittany Hayes is offering to lend the flashy red dress she wore the night she graduated from MC College in Calgary for free to help a high school student go to prom.
Hayes recently posted a note on the Kentville’s Online Yard Sale Facebook page to announce that she’s willing to let a high school student borrow the dress for prom night free of charge.
And she’ll even throw in free makeup services as an added bonus.
“I’m not doing anything with it at the moment; I’m a stay at home mom. It would be fun for me and I think it would be great for them as well,” said Hayes.
“It means so much to me that I’d like to keep it, but that doesn’t mean no one should get to use it.”
Hayes was overwhelmed by the response to her Facebook post. She wasn’t surprised to hear from a couple of girls interested in her dress, but she was shocked to see how many people reached out to thank her for thinking of others.
One woman even volunteered to follow suit and loan her prom dress out at no cost as well.
“That was so nice that she was able to jump on board,” said Hayes.
Hayes wasn’t thinking about inspiring a larger movement by letting someone borrow her prom dress, but she’d be thrilled if her idea motivated others to do good deeds.
“I did a lot of volunteer work when I was in college and I don’t really have the financial resources to do as much as I want to. I’d like to do a lot more… but this is just a small gesture that I’m able to do at this time. I’m always looking for things that I can help with,” she said.
“All the positive responses are so kind and they mean so much to me… it’s really nice to see.”
For more information about the dress, contact Hayes at mosherbrittany@hotmail.com