Prom dreams start with gowns
Hundreds of Boston-area girls won’t have to worry about finding the prom dress of their dreams thanks to big-hearted local donors who pitched in to get them the gowns, shoes and accessories they’ll need to dazzle their dates.
“It’s just like a blessing, not every day somebody gets to get makeup, clothes, prom dresses,” said Kayla Mercado, one of the 800 high schoolers who spent part of the day yesterday perusing racks of prom dresses in a gym at Simmons College.
“It’s just amazing; I’m very thankful.”
The beautiful dresses were provided by donors from across the Bay State and New Hampshire as part of Anton’s Cleaners’ 13th annual Belle of the Ball dress drive. Each girl was nominated by a teacher or community organizer and was paired with a volunteer personal shopper, who helped them pick out a dress, shoes, makeup and jewelry in the hopes of making their prom night the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience that every girl deserves.
Mercado, who was paired with Kayla Thomas, wife of Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, quickly narrowed her dress choice down to two after sprinting back and forth from a dressing room, where she eagerly tried on gown after gown. And though she ultimately settled on a dress, the decision required changing back and forth between the two a couple of times.
A Celtics fan, Mercado didn’t realize she was being assisted by Thomas’ wife until after they had split up and dropped her bags with shoes and makeup in excitement when she found out.
For Jadon Smith, the day was all about feeling beautiful.
“I was able to take pictures and feel like really just beautiful,” she said. “The price of getting ready and just showing up to prom, it can be very stressful but things like Belle of the Ball, this eases so much stress and makes it so much easier — it makes it fun again.”
Donna Smith, Jadon’s mother, said she was as, or more, excited than her daughter and stressed that yesterday will help the daughter of a single mother get a truly memorable prom.
For the volunteers, the day was focused on making the girls feel special. Karen Gauthier, a guidance counselor at Barnstable High School, had recommended students for the past two years but decided to volunteer at yesterday’s event. She said that for the girls who benefit from the drive, it’s about far more than a dress and shoes.
“They’re so excited, and at the prom you can see they feel like anyone else there for the first time in their lives,” Gauthier said. “They’re able to feel like each and every other person there. It levels the playing field.”