For many high school students, prom is one of the most exciting nights of the year. However, for some, the cost of formal wear can stand in the way.
Every March, Ohio University’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Dresses event, hosted by the Panhellenic Council, works to make the experience more accessible.
Ava Wood, a junior studying environmental studies, serves as the Panhellenic Council president and organized the event last year.
“Anyone who needs formal wear for an event like (prom) can come and find what they’re looking for,” Wood said. “It’s eliminating a barrier that might exist for some people to experience to the fullest extent their prom.”
In the weeks leading up to the event, the Panhellenic Council helps collect formal wear donations from the sorority and fraternity chapters at OU. Donations include a wide range of items, such as formal and semiformal dresses, suit jackets, blazers, dress shirts, dress pants, ties, shoes and accessories.
Isabella Cox, a junior studying business economics and marketing, is the Panhellenic Council’s vice president of philanthropy and service and is organizing this year’s event.
“My part in this is the organization of it all,” Cox said. “I’ll be contacting schools about the event and also sending them a flyer to put up around their schools to get people to come to the event. I’ll also have to order dresses and suits because usually we don’t get enough.”
Cox said collecting donations from the sorority and fraternity chapters was a challenge in the past. To help address this issue, she introduced drop-off boxes in each sorority and fraternity chapter house, a new addition to the event.
Wood said the drop-off boxes will make donating formal wear easier, as students previously had to bring donations to Baker Center.
“I think that’ll be a really great incentive to get people to donate dresses,” Wood said. “There’s a barrier there when you’re having people transport those dresses … it’s a little bit more complicated than just easily going and picking up a box from a chapter.”
The event has a wide impact, with schools in Athens and from surrounding counties invited each year. Flyers are sent to each school, and students and their families can attend the three-day event. Last year, Cox said 80 to 90 students attended and received formal wear.
“Getting to see the individuals whose days are made … because they found a dress they really love and they didn’t have to pay for it, I think that is one of the most rewarding things for me,” Wood said.
Wood also said time is set aside from students from the Beacon School, which serves students with developmental disabilities, to browse and try on formal wear.
Kaitlin Brown, a freshman studying elementary education, said she would participate in an event like this and donate a dress if she had the opportunity.
“I know a lot of people can’t afford a really nice prom dress and that’s why they don’t go to prom,” Brown said. “Having that event allows more people to be able to go to prom and be able to have that experience.”
Beyond providing formal wear, the event also helps connect Greek life at OU. One of Cox’s hopes for the event this year is to encourage participation from other chapters and councils, such as the Multicultural Greek Council and the Interfraternity Council.
“If I’m able to get those other chapters from those other councils to donate, hopefully this can bring us all together,” Cox said. “We’ve always had volunteers from the different chapters on every day of the event, and I feel like that’s a good way to get the Panhellenic community connected because, at the end of the day, we’re all one Greek community.”
Although the drop-off boxes have not been placed in the chapter houses yet, Wood says she is already planning to donate dresses, which is a full-circle moment for her.
“I have this huge box full (of dresses), so I’m really excited to get to see some people try on and take home some of the dresses that I wore,” Wood said.
The event will take place March 20-22 at Baker. Donations can also be mailed or brought to Ohio University’s office of sorority and fraternity life in Baker, according to the event’s Facebook page.
@taylormorris024 (X)
