A high school girl became overwhelmed while trying on dresses at a previous year’s PROMise of Hope event at the faith-based nonprofit Dream Center in Peoria. The Dream Center hopes to specifically impact girls living in poverty, but any area high school girl going to prom can attend this year’s event March 23 to find a fancy dress and accessories at no cost. (Photo courtesy of Dream Center Peoria)

Thanks to an event that started with the kindness of a local dry cleaner several years ago,  area high school girls can attend their proms in style without having to fret about how to pay for a fancy dress.

“This event is open to any high school girl that’s going to prom,” said organizer Sherri Ernst about this year’s PROMise of Hope event from 1 to 8 p.m. March 23 at the Dream Center, 714 Hamilton Blvd., in Peoria.

“Our hope is to impact those who are living in poverty and that’s who we’re trying to reach, but any girl is welcome to come and have this experience because they get a personal shopper for the day that will help them and encourage them and give them whatever they need to look great for prom,” added Ernst, the Dream Center’s outreach ministry and volunteer coordinator.

PROMise of Hope began about six years ago when a local dry cleaner contacted the Dream Center to ask if they could find a use for prom dresses that had been dropped off for cleaning but hadn’t been picked up by the owners.

As a faith-based not-for-profit organization  with the mission of impacting individuals and families in poverty starting with kids and youth, the Dream Center staff didn’t have to think too hard about that question.

“PROMise of Hope started with those dresses, and it just grew from there,” Ernst said.

This year the Dream Center is seeking donations of prom dresses, shoes, prom-appropriate jewelry and fancy purses to add to the 600 dresses that have already been collected.

“That sounds like a lot of dresses, but really it’s not,” Ernst said. “We really need shoes and larger plus-sized dresses right now. We don’t have very many in those sizes.”

The Dream Center is able to take dress donations throughout the year, having turned a former racquetball court into a prom dress storage room.

Ernst said she’s taken donations from all around central Illinois. She even traveled two hours south to Bunker Hill, Ill., recently to pick up 90 dresses from a woman who hosts a similar event there.

Volunteers at a previous PROMise of Hope event sponsored by the Dream Center in Peoria help a high school girl find the perfect prom dress, shoes and accessories at no charge. Organizer Sherri Ernst said she has a waiting list of people wanting to volunteer at the event because it’s so rewarding to help girls find a beautiful dress they might not be able to afford otherwise. (Photo courtesy Dream Center Peoria)

“People who have donated love it because they want their prom dress to go for a good use,” Ernst said. “If that dress can get worn again and make somebody else’s prom special, that’s getting double the satisfaction out of it.”

The Dream Center sometimes takes donations of bridesmaid dresses if they seem appropriate for prom. “We’re not picky, and you never know what someone is going to like,” Ernst said.

Most of the dresses come to the Dream Center already dry cleaned, and Ideal Troy Cleaners in Peoria has loaned the center a steamer to smooth away any wrinkles.

Last year about 125 area girls found their perfect prom dress and accessories free of charge at the Dream Center event, and Ernst is hoping to reach even more girls this year.

“I’ve notified 17 area schools about the event, and we have buses coming from three schools: East Peoria, Limestone and Peoria High,” Ernst said. No appointment is necessary; any girl is welcome to show up on the day of the event.

“Girls can expect to be pampered and loved on and treated like a queen,” Ernst said.

About 80 volunteers have signed on to act as personal shoppers and runners to help the girls find a dress and accessories.

Volunteers look through a rack of prom dresses during a previous year’s PROMise of Hope event at the Dream Center in Peoria in which area high school girls can shop for a prom dress and accessories free of charge. This year’s event takes place from 1 to 8 p.m. March 23. (Photo courtesy of Dream Center Peoria)

“I actually have a waiting list of people wanting to volunteer because this is a very popular event that people love to help at. Our space is only so big and we have each person assigned a particular area to serve,” Ernst said.

A Mary Kay makeup consultant will also be donating some makeup bags and students at the Tricoci University beauty school will be accepting appointments on certain days for girls to get updos for prom.

“I think the girls love it,” Ernst said. “They love getting treated like a princess. Who doesn’t like getting the attention and having someone pamper you and help you pick out that perfect dress. We want to treat everyone the same and give everyone that opportunity that girls who may be in a different financial situation would have. We just want them to feel special.”

Prom dresses can cost hundreds of dollars and are often only worn once, so buying one can be a hardship for many families, Ernst added.

“I just think prom is one of those memories you’ll always have from high school. It’s a special event where you can have fun with your friends, and if you have a beautiful dress it makes you feel confident and beautiful on the inside and the outside,” she said.

Donations of dresses, shoes and accessories can be taken to the Dream Center at 714 Hamilton Blvd. in Peoria during business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.  For more information, contact Sherri Ernst at (309) 676-3000 ext. 227.

“We hope a lot of girls will take advantage of this. We have ready, willing and able volunteers that want to love on them and pray for them and help them find that dress,” Ernst said.

—A free formal dress gives prom goers perfect look for big night–