If you have fond memories of your prom, you can do your part this year to make sure that a needy high school girl in Western New York has that experience regardless of the economy or other financial difficulties in her life.
Buffalo State College’s chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is collecting dresses to donate to Colvin Cleaners’ annual “Gowns 4 Prom” Prom Dress Drive. Simply bring your old prom dress or dresses to the NYPIRG office, room 419 of the Campbell Student Union building by Tuesday, April 6 at 5pm.
The drive is accepting any dresses that would be suitable for prom wear, from cocktail dresses to ball gowns. They can be brought to the office at any time before the deadline, and can be left outside the room if no one is there.
According to Corey Tarreto, NYPIRG Project Coordinator at Buffalo State College, last year’s drive brought in around 50 dresses, and the group is hoping to receive the same number this year. She emphasized some reasons why this drive is a worthy cause.
“This project has many benefits, first it provides dresses to girls who normally not be able to afford them and allows them to attend their high school prom,” Tarreto said. “Secondly it brings the community together and gives people an easy way to give back. And thirdly it is a great environmental effort to reuse clothing to lessen the creation of new dresses.”
This drive by Buffalo State is part of a larger effort by Colvin Cleaners to promote “Gowns 4 Prom”. Up until March 31, the dresses can be dropped off at the Colvin Cleaners locations, Shea’s Performing Arts Center, the headquarters of WIVB-TV, or Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations.
According to Tarreto, Colvin Cleaners will also host a giveaway of dresses on April 12, 13, and 14 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. She said that the organizers are looking for help from anyone who would like to volunteer for this event.
“If anyone is interested in volunteering, just contact Colvin Cleaners and they would greatly appreciate the help,” Tarreto said.
To find out more about the “Gowns 4 Prom” drive, visit Colvin Cleaners’ website. For more information about Buffalo State’s NYPIRG program and how to get involved, visit this page or contact their office at (716) 882-1549 or via email.