Prom season at Highlands came and went, but now, attending students are left with the formal wear from the event. Many people opt to sell their prom dresses and suits, or keep them for future events, but donating formal wear to the Cinderella’s Closet Dress Drive at Highlands is a good way to declutter and help people in need of formal wear.
“Prom can be expensive, dresses, shoes, flowers, nails, hair and tickets can all rack up a big bill so this type of spending can put stress on people with limited funds so having donations can alleviate part of the expense and allow students to have a good time no matter their budget,” fashion teacher and dress drive organizer Ahren Wagner said.
It is important for people living through poverty or people who can not afford a new prom dress or a dress at all to be able to be confident and comfortable at prom.
Dress drives are available all around the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area, so resources are available to everyone in need.
“The HHS fashion club decided to do a prom dress drive to promote sustainable fashion and help girls in need feel confident and enjoy their experience at prom. We are incredibly grateful for all the dress donations we received,” fashion club officer Liza Zengel (11) said.
The process of the dress drive is simple: used dresses are brought to the front office or Mrs. Wagner’s room, and the dresses, suits, and other formal clothes go to Cinderella’s closet, then are donated to students in need of dresses for prom.
“Students can donate newer or gently used formal dresses, any size, color, length, or style. We will donate them to Cinderella’s Closet, and they will take care of the rest,” Zengel said.
Not only can the dress drive benefit neighboring schools and students, but doing community service is a great way for Highlands students to grow and learn not only as students but as community members and people.
“It’s important to have students do charity work and donate to be able to learn values. So the Fashion Club members wanted to do a service project as one of their activities for the year. Doing community services like helping with the drive is a great way for students to learn organization and helping others,” Wagner said.
Helping out with the dress drive isn’t just about donating clothes—it’s about giving someone the chance to feel good about themselves on a special night.
When students support each other like this, it builds a stronger, more caring school community where everyone has a chance to shine.