If you go
What: Prom dress giveaway event where teens can shop for and choose a dress for free.
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24.
Where: House of Neighborly Service Boutique, 1511 E. 11th St. in Loveland.
Cost: Free
More info: www.facebook.com/HouseOfNeighborlyService/
Alma Blanco is excited to watch teens peruse the racks of prom dresses this Saturday at a special boutique, looking for that perfect gown. She’s even more excited to offer the formal wear for free.
“The girls that can’t afford it will be able to go to prom and make their dream come true,” said Blanco, the clothing program manager at the House of Neighborly Service.
Though she began working toward a prom dress giveaway three years ago, this is the first year that Blanco has enough donated dresses to open the House of Neighborly Services Boutique to teens for prom. She will open the store 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, when it is normally closed, to give teens the chance to shop the more than 200 gowns for that one special dress.
The atmosphere will be fun, a special shopping day that, in the end, will cost nothing but will still give teens the experience of shopping for and choosing their prom dress, Blanco described.
“They are actually coming to a boutique to shop for their dress,” said Blanco.
The boutique will offer jewelry and shoes, too, as well as a smaller selection of formal wear for boys who need prom attire.
Blanco knows firsthand how hard it is to struggle raising a family. Her own girls, she said, were not able to attend prom when they were in school because she was a single mom, and it was just too expensive.
That is part of what drove her to make her vision for a prom dress boutique come to fruition.
Three years ago while shopping, she found a rack of fancy dresses on clearance for $5 each and bought 20. Then, over the past few years, donations of formal dresses have been coming in to the nonprofit’s boutique. This week, with money from an anonymous donor, Blanco went shopping at Macy’s and found more dresses for up to 70 percent off, brand new dresses that cost in the range of $7 to $10.
On Monday, she lovingly looked at the selection on the racks, which was 212 dresses, some new with tags but all looking brand new because Blanco cleaned and steamed them for the event.
The selection is vast, ranging from short to long, from sparkly to subtle. They are all different colors and styles, including ones that resemble ball gowns, a mid-calf A-line cut, short and sparkly and even a vintage 50s-style off-white dress with pearl buttons — an older resident’s wedding dress, a perfect choice for the teen who loves vintage style.
“There is a dress for every girl that’s going to come through,” said Blanco. “We have all sizes, and they are gorgeous.”
She can hardly wait for the teenage shoppers this weekend, just two weeks before the Thompson School District prom on April 7, to watch them try on dresses and to see them smile when they find their very own dress.
“It’s for them,” Blanco said. “It’s all about them. … It’s going to be fun.”
This is the first prom dress event, but Blanco is planning on repeating it each year as well as opening a day for dresses for homecoming dances. She also is collecting donated wedding dresses to offer through the boutique to those in need and wants to expand the formal wear for boys and men.
Donations of dresses, or money to shop clearance after prom, will help Blanco continue her vision. They may be dropped off at the House of Neighborly Service at 1511 E. 11th St.
Pamela Johnson: 970-699-5405, johnsonp@reporter-herald.com, www. twitter.com/RHPamelaJ.
