For two days in March, Apex United Methodist Church will be giving away prom dresses. This year’s Prom Shoppe event will be Friday, March 8, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Brandy Sadler, director of The Prom Shoppe, told me all about this amazing event of love and generosity.
“The Prom Shoppe is open to any high school-aged girl. It doesn’t matter where they’re from; it’s not just for girls in Apex. It’s for anybody who wants to come. We have had people come from the border of North Carolina and Virginia.”
During this annual two-day event the girls, many of them from less fortunate circumstances, can expect a boutique experience, browsing all the dresses, picking out shoes, jewelry, and make-up as well as accessories like handbags and shawls. They’ll even have dressing rooms to try on their dresses.
“They get the whole experience,” Brandy said. “The goal is to make these girls feel like they’re going shopping at the mall for their prom gown. So, we have it set up that way, and they can try everything on. It’s really amazing. It’s a really cool event.”
What an amazing thing to do for other people! With heartfelt and palpable emotion in her voice, Brandy told me what she tells the many volunteers who help out: “I always tell my volunteers, some of the girls that come in here today, this is the only time that they’re going to feel like they’re in a safe place. I tell them this may be the only time that they feel loved. Or this may be the only time that they’re told they’re beautiful. And so that’s what we strive for. That’s what we train our volunteers for. We want these girls to not feel different just because they can’t afford to go to Macy’s. We don’t want them to feel that way. We want them to come here and feel loved and supported and encouraged. And to feel beautiful.”
For recipients and volunteers, the Prom Shoppe is a life-changing event. Brandy says, “We have volunteers that have been helping for years. They keep coming back because it’s such an incredible experience. Hearing their stories makes this near and dear to my heart and I can talk about it all day. We had a girl come through once with her mother, and the mother pulled me aside and she said, ‘I just have to tell you how much this means to us.’ I told her we were happy to do it and she said, ‘No, you don’t understand. We don’t even have a refrigerator at home. My daughter would not be able to go to prom if you were not here.’”
You can say “it’s just a dress and it’s just a dance” but it’s so much more. Imagine a 16-, 17-, or 18-year-old girl crying, sobbing, because after trying on that dress and those shoes, she is told for the first time in her life that she is beautiful. In a safe place, she suddenly feels encouraged, supported, and more confident. Yes, the dress is a pretty wrapper but it’s the feeling of being told that she is worthy of it and it’s the memories of being able to join her peers in that rite of passage that so many of us remember.
In these lean economic times, the average price for a young lady to go to prom costs over $1,000. When families are struggling to fill their gas tanks or put food on the table, something like a prom dress would be out of the question.
For 16 years, Apex United Methodist Church has been not just helping but transforming these young ladies through their extravagant loving generosity. Last year they hosted 600 girls and gave away 550 dresses! And this year they expect as many or more—but the dresses need to be replenished. I asked where some of these dresses come from and Brandy said, “Well, we’ve been very blessed. We have partnerships with five or six boutiques across the state. And when I say across the state, I mean Wilmington, Charlotte, Fayetteville. We have some boutiques that help us with donations, and they donate dresses. At the 2023 event, probably 75% of our dresses still had the tags on. They’re not donating dresses that have been sitting in their stock room for 10 years. We had a boutique in Winston-Salem that donated couture gowns. The price tags were still on and some of the dresses were over $1,100. People hear about the event, and they learn about it, and I tell the stories because I think it’s important for people to understand.”
You can help! Dresses are always needed. If you have “like new,” beautiful gowns five years old or newer and would like to donate and change a girl’s life, please contact The Prom Shoppe at AUMC: promshoppe@apexumc.org. They will also accept handbags, accessories, shoes, and new unopened cosmetics.
Looking ahead, Brandy said, “We would love to have sponsors that help support the event. So if it’s a week before the event and we don’t have enough make-up, I can call the sponsors and say, ‘Hey, can you spare $100 for us?’”
If you know of a family struggling financially that would like to send their daughter(s) to prom this year, tell them about The Prom Shoppe at Apex United Methodist Church. The church is located at 100 S. Hughes Street in Apex. The event takes place Friday, March 8 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Spread the word and share the happiness!
For more information about The Prom Shoppe at Apex United Methodist Church and for more ways to contribute to this giving event, please visit their Facebook page (AUMCPromShoppe), website (apexumc.churchcenter.com/giving – select Prom Shoppe), and Amazon wish list www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1PFPP7C4J539C?ref_=wl_share.
