Teens Couldn't Afford Dresses for Prom, so Local Library Found a Solution for Students in Need

Finding a perfect dress for one’s prom night can be an expensive experience. Thanks to a Dallas City initiative, it is getting easier for at least a few girls.

Dallas Central Library has started a charity named Fairy Tale Closet, which will help connect people willing to donate gowns in various sizes and styles to those who really need it.

This year, the charitable initiative took place on March 9 and 10 and it even included gender-inclusive items for teens from LGBTQ+ community.

The event provided free dresses to high-school going teens, who cannot afford expensive dresses. The outfits provided were either brand new or moderately used.

“For the past four years, people from across the city have been giving us their gently-used special-occasion dresses and accessories, and hundreds of young women have been able to attend their proms – something which they might not have afforded to do otherwise,” Dallas Public Library informed.

Donations for the charity were received from various clothing stores as well as other people from the city.

In the Facebook post shared by the Library earlier in January, they further urged several clothing stores to follow the example of “Neiman Marcus” in donating the dresses for the city’s teens.

“This year, Neiman Marcus and #SandD Manufacturing have graciously donated 200 prom dresses to the Fairy Tale Closet. We’d like to challenge other local retailers to do the same,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, Communications & Youth Services Administrator for Fairy Tale Closet, Melissa Dease stated that in their sixth year of opening, the Fairy Tale Closet is growing with increasing number of donors as well as teen girls looking to be a part of it.

She further stated that inclusiveness is one of the primary values of the organization, which is why they have incorporated clothing items for teens from LGBTQ+ community as well from this year.

“This year we’ve added a few jackets and suits for those who eschew ball gowns and a second event for any LGBTQ+ teens who may not be comfortable with the initial giveaway,” Dease added.

Previously, a teen named Mika Riddick also initiated a solo effort of providing her prom dress to other teens in need, causing her story to go viral.

Later, several girls thanked her by replying to her post with an image of them wearing her dress to their prom events.

In another incident, a Latina teen decided to avoid heavy spending on a prom dress by creatively turning a $50 Fashion Nova dress into a stunning prom gown.