YES TO THE PERFECT DRESS
Annual event draws hundreds of teens
Thousands of girls and young women said yes to their perfect dress.
With the help of New Beginnings and donations from local businesses and individuals, the 10th annual Say Yes to the Prom Dress event on Saturday saw hundreds of excited teens dig through racks of beaded, lacy and sparkly frocks destined to be worn on one of the most special days of their young lives.
And their new dresses didn’t cost them a cent.
New Beginnings executive director Mary Kay Morand said she couldn’t put an exact number on how many girls have benefited over the years or how many dresses have been donated since the event has been held.
More than 1,500 dresses were collected this year and Morand said she expected 1,000 of them to go to a deserving girl or young woman to wear during a graduation ceremony or to a prom.
Those numbers have been growing steadily since the event’s inception, when about 100 dresses were given away.
Word of mouth and an increasing demand for the free service have led to the event’s expansion.
“It seems that, with the high rate of unemployment and newcomers in our community, the gap for young women who can participate in these events is getting wider,” Morand said. “We’re very fortunate that we have such generous donors.”
Sally Elsayed, a Grade 12 student at St. Joseph high school, was shopping for the perfect prom dress Saturday while her sister Peri was looking for a dress for her St. Clair College graduation.
It was the first time Elsayed had been to the New Beginning ’s event, held at its offices on Highland Avenue and Erie Street.
“I love the dresses. I love the collection that they have. It’s so nice,” Elsayed said. “They’re so pretty and they’re not torn or anything.”
Morand said new and gently worn dresses are donated each year by businesses and individuals. Shoes and accessories are also available free of charge.
The dress selection included formal, prom and graduation dresses in sizes from 0 to 26, in a variety of lengths and colours.
“It would be hard to find a dress on a budget,” Elsayed said. “All the good dresses are so expensive now.”
Aryanna Regnier, a 14-year-old Grade 8 student at W. J. Langlois elementary school, was shopping with her mom Laurie Labelle.
Labelle said it took about 20 minutes for her daughter to find a dress that she loves.
“There was lots to choose from,” Labelle said. “I was happy with it.”
Several “personal shoppers” volunteered their time to help visitors wade through the racks of dresses that were organized by size.
Morand anticipated at least half the dresses would be scooped up Saturday, but said followup visits would continue for at least a week, because not everyone could make it for the one-day event.