Of the nearly 500 prom dresses offered by the Evanston Women’s Club’s Dreams Delivered project, an Evanston Township High School junior picked out a long black one with a V-neck cut and lots of sparkles.
“It makes me feel like fireworks,” she said. “I can picture myself at prom with my hair done, and everything fitting, and feeling very happy.”
Inspired by similar efforts across the country, the Women’s Club organized the fifth annual Dreams Delivered project to provide ETHS girls with dresses, shoes, accessories, purses and makeup to help them complete their prom attire.
The three-day event, which began Monday and endsWednesday, offers everything from makeup and hair tutorials to on-site alterations and personal shoppers.
“Prom can cost between $500 to $1,400, and most of the dresses can range anywhere from $100 to $300,” said Lisa Shary, this year’s Dreams Delivered chair. “I think it really helps, and the feedback has been unbelievable.”
Shary said she hopes to help 80 girls this year, nearly double of past years.
She said the Evanston community has been really helpful in organizing the event: Pivot Point beauty school students provided hair and makeup tutorials, Kenny the Kleener dry-cleaned all the donated dresses for free, seamstresses from Vogue Fabrics did alterations, Whole Foods offered refreshments, the city provided free parking passes, Evanston Security donated their time and the Evanston Athletic Club and Northwestern Panhellenic Association put out boxes to accept dress donations.
“Anything that’s an obstacle to prom is something we’re trying to help with,” Shary said. “We had moms coming up and giving us hugs, just watching their girls light up.”
Wearing a floor-length satin red dress, an ETHS senior running for prom queen said she heard about the event through announcements at school, the senior assembly and the school’s community service office.
“It definitely makes me feel like the queen,” she said. “Even if I lose – and I hope I don’t – at least I’m wearing this dress.”
Mary DeNoble, who volunteered to be a personal shopper for the event, said she loves making the girls feel like they’re queen for a day with everyone helping her out.
“They come in jeans, and they put on the dresses and they just look fabulous,” DeNoble said. “It’s just a happy place.”
