Prom season is quickly approaching for high school students.
However, there are instances when students can’t participate in the fun each year simply because of money.
Alma College’s MacCurdy House is teaming up with the Women’s Resource Center of MidMichigan’s Career Closet in Alma this week to provide a prom closet for local high school students who can’t afford a dress.
Living at the MacCurdy House requires residents to pick up a local project every year. Most of the time the tasks are already set up for the students, but this year the housemates wanted to do something different.
Seniors Paige Daniel, Audrey Karr, Ishijah Johnson and Michael Brewer-Barres are the occupants this academic year. They each have an equal amount of volunteer hours at the Career Closet to work on the project.
“We had talked to the Career Closet last semester about working with them,” Daniel said. “But it was this semester that we started the project, so we’ve been collecting dresses since February.”
The Career Closet is specifically set up for adult clothing so women can go on interviews and other business ventures, so there was a need to help the next generation dress for special events of their own.
“This is the first time the house has put on a project like this,” Daniel said. “We just wanted to contribute something to the Career Closet, and we thought it would be a good way to get the community involved, too.”
Donations may include gently used formal dresses, shoes, jewelry, formal purses, and also strapless bras. Every donation is tax deductible.
Pepper Near is the mother of four children, including three daughters, who also offers her time at the Career Closet. Having donated dresses before to Goodwill and Salvation Army in Mt. Pleasant, she knows how helpful these programs can be.
“I like contributing to the community,” Near said. “I was just looking for a way to do that, and I came across this endeavor on some Facebook posts. In turn, I have shared on Facebook about what we’re doing here.”
So far 74 dresses have been donated. Four of them have been taken off of the racks, leaving 70 dresses to choose from.
The donations have ranged from one dress to five, to even 13 in a single visit.
Items may be dropped off at the MacCurdy House until the end of this week at 701 W. Center St. After this week, donations should be dropped off at the Career Closet located at 150 W. Center St.
Volunteers from the MacCurdy House will be working at the Prom Closet until April 20th, with times as follows:
Sunday 5-6 p.m.
Monday 6-7 p.m.
Thursday 5-6 p.m.
Friday 5-6 p.m.
For more information, contact Paige Daniel at daniel1pe@alma.edu or the Career Closet at WRCGratiot@hotmail.com with any questions.