MW Cleaners collecting prom dresses

Fort Bend County area MW Cleaners are serving as drop-off sites for this year’s MW Cares Prom Dress Drive, benefiting the Giving Gown Foundation.

MW Cleaners throughout Greater Houston are accepting donations of prom dresses and accessories through the end of March. Local MW Cleaners are located at 4675 Texas 6 in Sugar Land and 2201 S. Mason Road; 2711 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Suite 1600; and 2731 FM 1463, Suite 100, in Katy. Visit www.mwcleaners.com for store hours.

MW Cleaners will clean donated dresses for free and deliver them to the Giving Gown Foundation, a nonprofit that collects donations of new and likenew formal gowns and accessories and provides them free to high school girls whowould otherwise be unable to afford to go to prom.

This is the second year MW Cleaners has held the donation drive to benefit the foundation.

Last year, nearly 500 gowns were donated.

Because donations kept coming in, Mike Nesbit, president of MW Cleaners, decided to accept gowns year-round; the company collected and cleaned an additional 840 dresses.

These gowns — along with the gowns that will be collected during the current drive — will be donated to the Giving Gown Foundation, which will provide prom dresses and accessories to area high school girls during Boutique Days from April 7-9.

During the three-day event, each girl will be greeted by a personal shopper; choose a prom gown, shoes and accessories; have their gown altered on-site; attend a self-esteem seminar; have a boutique lunch; and take home a swag bag full of hygiene and beauty products.

During last year’s Boutique Days, 1,223 girls were served by 400 volunteers. For this year’s event, all 1,500 registration slots were filled in a matter of days, according to the Giv- ing Gown organization.

“These young ladies are being taught that, in this world, there are people that care, that there are people who love you and want to help you move forward,” Nesbit said.

Visit www.givinggown.org, email contact@givinggown.org or call 713-3047725. Allen Jones is a freelance writer.