23°
Preparing for Prom
Perfect Prom Project offers high school girls a perfect dress
4:00 am Apr 11 - by Danielle Perlin – Buzz writer
After a long winter in CU, it seemed as though everyone on campus was outside on the first 63 degree day of the semester. Well, everyone except the 16 members of the Perfect Prom Project.
The Perfect Prom Project, a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on campus, held its purple-and-black-themed Boutique Day on Saturday, April 5 in room 314 of the Illini Union. Girls from 20 different high schools, who ordinarily would not have the chance to attend prom, came to select free dresses, accessories and shoes. This was the third consecutive year the Perfect Prom Project has held an event like this.
Alumnae Autumn Griffin founded the organization on campus in fall 2005.
“I’ve been to similar organizations, and they’re really helpful,” said Griffin. “I didn’t know of anything like that going on here. I wanted the same opportunity to be available here.”
“[Griffin] remembers paying a lot for her prom, and she remembers some of her friends not being able to go simply because of financial reasons,” said Rosemary Pfau, vice president of the fashion show. “She wanted to start a club to help girls out with that.”
Each year brings new dresses and a significant increase in the amount of girls that attend Boutique Day.
According to Griffin, 40 girls came to Boutique Day the first year it was held; the second saw 100 girls. This year’s event broke last year’s attendance within its first hour.
“[We] expect continuous growth …hopefully [the] same people will donate dresses [in future years],” said Griffin.
When the high school girls walked into the Union, they were given a ticket and were required to show their high school identification. Each was assigned a personal shopper that is a member of the Perfect Prom Project. Most members, President Katie Hansen said, were responsible for at least five or six girls.
In addition to dresses, Boutique Day showcases a variety of shoes, purses and accessories for the girls to choose from.
Although the girls come looking for a dress, they will not necessarily find their perfect prom dress.
“Some people may not find exactly what they’re looking for,” said Griffin. “We are short on plus sizes.”
She said a lot of the plus-sized dresses that the organization receives are old-fashioned in style.
“You really want to keep [the dresses] current,” she said.
According to Pfau, the donated dresses ranged in styles.
“We have the huge, poofy dresses, and we also have the short dresses,” she said.
The Perfect Prom Project makes it easy to donate dresses by offering a variety of opportunities to do so.
“You can donate dresses to our cubicle in the RSO office, or you can just contact us and mail it to our cubicle and we just pick them up,” said Pfau.
The RSO makes calls to specific places and asks for donations, Pfau said.
This year, the RSO received a huge contribution from a second-hand dress sale its members helped to organize called Dresses and Dreams. Donna Pepper, the woman who organized Dresses and Dreams, donated the dresses that were not sold to the Perfect Prom Project, according to Pfau.
“She donated about 150 dresses to us this year,” said Pfau. “That’s how we got a lot of dresses. They’re really pretty dresses too.”
Pepper received donations from people around the Champaign-Urbana area who wanted to sell their previously-worn dresses, said Pfau.
“I think they got 30 percent of the profit … they could choose to get their dresses back if they didn’t sell, or [the people] could donate them to us if they didn’t sell,” said Pfau.
According to Hansen, Boutique Day showcased about 174 donated dresses.
The Perfect Prom Project also works on marketing and advertising for Boutique Day in addition to their annual Fashion Show.
“We have to go to the high schools and put up flyers to inform the girls, and we put up flyers at churches too,” said Pfau.
Griffin stated that Hansen informed media outlets around the area, including the Daily Illini and the News-Gazette.
“Our website (ucprom.com) is a good source of information [too],” said Griffin.
However, a few high school girls who attended the event heard by word-of-mouth.
“I had some friends who did it last year, and they loved it,” said Emily Kauwell, a senior at Centennial High School.
Kauwell talked about how her friends found their perfect prom dresses at last year’s Boutique Day.
Kauwell’s budget may not allow for her to be able to afford a dress.
“I’m on a budget … it’s either find a job or find another way to get [a dress],” she said.
Liz Pritchard, a senior at Centennial High School, bought a dress prior to attending the event.
“I can always donate the dress if I find something better here,” said Pritchard.
“This is both of our senior proms,” said Kauwell. “We want it to be perfect.”
About 130 of the 174 donated dresses were taken by the high school girls, along with almost all of the accessories, Hansen said.
“All the moms are so appreciative,” said Pfau. “It’s nice to feel like you’re
making a difference in the community … making somebody’s prom better.”
Add your review: