The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
PROM DRESS GIVEAWAY
First Presbyterian Church of Oneida hosts annual event
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Is prom expensive? It doesn’t have to be with the First Presbyterian Church of Oneida’s annual Prom Dress Giveaway.
Hosted this year on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 9 a.m12 p.m., this event has been recycling once-worn dresses for 13 years, providing formal gowns at zero cost.
“There’s something for everybody,” said volunteer Becky Ewen. Available styles included strapless, high-low, short, long, ballgown, fitted and more. Design elements such as tool, lace, beads, glitter, and sequins, were available, as well as a variety of colors and patterns.
Young students came from all over Central New York to browse the selection of dresses for their special days. Volunteer and Church session member Becky Williams recorded students arriving from Waterville, Morrisville-Eaton, Oneida, VVS, Fayetville-Manlius, Saquoit Valley, Camden, Canastota, Rome, RFA, and Madison.
Beyond the prom-dress category, the over 400 available dresses can be worn for senior balls, semi-formals, weddings, and other special events, such as Mom Prom, an event for older women to dress up and raise money for cancer funds.
“We wouldn’t turn anyone away,” said Williams, encouraging anyone in need of a dress to stop by.
Williams has overseen the Prom Dress Giveaway since its beginning and admitted it wasn’t always so popular. “We only gave away six or seven gowns the first year,” she said.
Now, the event is a wellknown and planned-on staple in the community.
This year, Williams recorded over 48 persons came to find a dress of their own, not including the family and friends that came for support.
To accommodate more shoppers for the event, the church transforms their Sunday school rooms and utilizes other areas to offer eight fitting rooms to guests. Volunteers are also on hand to help guests sift through the racks and find the perfect gown.
Ewen was once a bridal consultant and offers her expertise for shoppers at the event. Organizing dresses by size, fitting guests into their gowns, and even mending soiled or damaged dresses before putting them on the shopping racks are a few re
sponsibilities she’s taken on to help the cause.
Ewen encourages those who are skeptical or insecure about trying on dresses at the giveaway to push past the barriers in their mind.
“They have to actually physically look at the dress on themselves,” she added, “and not be afraid of what everybody else thinks.”
She and the other volunteers do their best to ensure the giveaway is a judgement-free zone.
Two young shoppers, Mekayla Dempster and Malia Awald, found dresses to wear to their home school prom. Awald didn’t think she’d pick a dress with bright colors, but ended up loving a bright blue strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline. Dempster chose a black dress with an intricately beaded backdetail.
A variety of free accessories, including heeled shoes, purses, decorative scarves/ shawls, and jewelry were available for shoppers to pick from as well.
Donations came in the door as the event went on, keeping shoppers’ options ongoing.
Those with formal dresses and accessories they’d like to donate can do so by dropping them off year-round at the Second Hand Rose consignment shop or at the First Presbyterian Church of Oneida.
Williams encourages those with dresses sized 14 and up to donate to help make a wider selection available in those sizes.
Those who missed the event but are still hoping to get a dress should message the First Presbyterian Church of Oneida’s Facebook page to get in contact with coordinator and volunteer Becky Williams.