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Community Corner

Altrusa Princess Night Project Offers Free Prom Gowns

Local chapter of international service organization expects to give away more than 100 gently used gowns in its 11th year.

Prom ticket. Check.

Date (or bestie) for the big evening. Check.

Prom gown. Big expensive problem.

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Girls who have everything for their high school prom except the gown of their dreams can get help with that problem from Altrusa of Akron's 11th annual Princess Night project.

For the last 10 years, local members of Altrusa International have been helping make prom dreams come true with free prom gowns. This year’s Princess Night project is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 16 at the Family of Faith United Methodist Church (formerly Church of the Master United Methodist Church) at 800 East Market St. in Akron.

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No recommendations or qualification is needed, said Judith Cox of Stow, Altrusa spokeswoman. Any girl who shows up and registers gets to choose from among the hundreds of gowns hanging by size on the many racks, Cox said. Altrusa asks only for the girl’s name, the name of her school and how she heard about the Princess Night project, Cox said.

Once registered, the girls are turned loose on the gowns with the help of aides to direct them to the proper sizes. “We have hundreds of dresses, and they’re beautiful dresses,” Cox said. When she has chosen a dress, each girl is directed to the fitting rooms to try it on.

“I get such a kick out of seeing them come in wearing their blue jeans and T-shirts. They come out of the dressing rooms and they look like they’ve been touched by a magic wand,” Cox said.

If she doesn’t like her first choice, the girl is free to look until she finds a gown that suits her, Cox added.

Should the gown needs a few alterations to make it fit perfectly, no problem. Altrusa has it covered.

“A few years ago, three women came to us with their sewing machines and asked what they could do to help,” Cox said. They do repairs and alterations on the gowns “right there at the time."

Altrusa also offers a large selection of dressy shoes and some other accessories such as purses, scarves and a limited supply of jewelry, Cox said.

“They can go to the prom looking pretty nifty with what we provide,” she said.

Mary Kay representatives are there to give each girl a makeover and Altrusa sends the girls home with the proper cosmetics to re-create the look themselves for prom night.

Cox said Altrusa helped 100 to 115 girls last year and may help even more this year.

“Times are getting tougher financially,” she said. "For some families, getting money for a dress once was no problem. We’re aware that not all families can do that, anymore. Many mothers have told us they didn’t know how they would have managed to get gowns for their daughters without the Princess Night project." 

Altrusa also will have drawings throughout the day for prom night items such as dinners and flowers, Cox said.

“We may not be as young as we used to be, but we remember what it was like to go to prom. Just want the girls to be able to have a wonderful time – a wonderful night out looking like a princess,” Cox said.

During day Altrusa has  drawings for dinner after prom, flowers and other prom related items.

Altrusa is accepting donations of new or gently used prom gowns. Gowns can be dropped off at the church from 9 a.m. through early evening on April 15. For more information on donations, call Jody Pulliam at 330-877-6000 or Jill McKinney at 330-607-4265.

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