The Women’s Panhellenic Association will take over a store in the Market on State shopping center from Thursday through Saturday to provide prom attire free of charge to local high school students.
The annual Sisterhood of the Traveling Dresses event has provided prom dresses, shoes and accessories free of charge to high schoolers for several years now. All items in the store are donated by Ohio University students and others in the area.
“It came about from us noticing a need and wanting to do something to help,” Kate Randall, a junior studying international business and the organizer of the event, said. “Prom is such an integral part of the high school experience, and being able to provide that experience to high schoolers in the area is extraordinary.”
This year, the store will upgrade to a new, bigger location in the mall to accommodate the large amount of donations the Women’s Panhellenic Association has received. The store will also include menswear for the first time, offering a selection of suits, ties and shoes to young men who might also need dress clothes for prom night.
The sales associates who run the store are all women from the ten sorority chapters within the Women’s Panhellenic Association. Randall said each chapter is asked to provided three or four volunteers who help shoppers find appropriate sizes and choose the best look.
Jessica Burris, a sophomore studying marketing, donated some of her gently used prom dresses and accessories to be given away at the event.
“What’s a better way to donate them than to the girls of Athens?” she said.
Burris will also be volunteering at the store for her first time Friday night. She said she is most looking forward to spending time with other women in Greek life while putting smiles on other girls faces.
“I had some of my best times at prom, getting all dolled up and having fun with my friends,” she said. “It’s really cool that a lot of the girls at OU and in Greek life can contribute to making prom a really special time for the girls in Athens.”
Randall said with the huge amount of donations and new menswear section, her goal for this year is to make a bigger impact than ever.
“To see the faces of the women who were trying on the dresses and also the looks on their family members or friends' faces because they never thought they would get to have that moment is indescribable,” she said.
