On Feb. 22, the Science Project and Felix’s Closet partnered to provide lightly used formal wear for students who need them for Prom. 50 dresses were donated, making sure everyone could go to Prom if they wanted to. Sophomore Noelia Molina says that formal wear is just so hard to find.
“It’s just such a good opportunity to find free clothes like that. I think everybody should take the opportunity to do it,” Molina said. “Why not? Take your chance.”
Aly Irvin, the kitchen manager at Science Project, said that they love being involved in the community and that partnering with Felix’s Closet was a natural fit.
“Felix’s Closet does an amazing job supporting students, and prom is such a special milestone,” Irvin said. “By working together, we can help ensure that every student has access to outfits and accessories that make them feel confident and excited for their big night.”
Amy Werner, the workplace learning coordinator for the P-Tech program, runs the food pantry and also helps out at Felix’s Closet. Werner says that they have always taken prom dress requests or donations, but it was the Science Project’s formal wear drive that allowed them to have enough formal wear to open it up.
“Usually, we have maybe four or five dresses in Felix’s Closet, but not enough to really have an event,” Werner said. “So we kind of felt like there was enough to bring kids in and let them kind of shop and have some options. There are lots of places and communities that do something like this. And this is kind of small right now, but we were even talking about ways to grow it for next year.”
Senior Myley Edwards said that prom dresses are super expensive nowadays, and having the option to get free formal wear is really nice.
“I was able to find actually two dresses,” Edwards said. “ One of them
is going to be my prom dress. It is very nice. It is very good quality. The other one is so beautiful and very nicely fitting. I would have went to prom either way but it made it so much easier to have the dress down instead of having to rush to find a dress or spend like $300 or $400.”
Werner plans on hosting the event again next year.
“Karen’s Tracks To Beauty, they’re closing the doors to their boutique, so they’re going to be donating a bunch of dresses for next year,” Werner said. “We’re hopefully going to have a drive. We were talking about it, maybe starting in January when people start cleaning.”
Some people can’t go to prom because of the fact they cannot afford a dress or a tux. Irvin says that it is a night to celebrate and that this project was a way of making sure every student had a way to enjoy it.
“Whether it’s finding the perfect dress, suit or accessories, we want to help students feel their best and focus on making great memories,” Irvin said. “It’s also a wonderful way for the community to come together in support of LHS students.”
