Audio clip
Kathy Quinn
More than 1,000 evening gowns will be given away next Saturday to teens who can't afford a prom dress.
One woman's desire to help financially strapped families in her hometown of Athens, Tenn., has blossomed into Prom Ministry. Last year, Prom Ministry outfitted teens from Knoxville to Birmingham, Ala., in free formalwear.
Kathy Quinn is the fairy godmother dressing hundreds of high-school Cinderellas for the dance.
"I was shopping last year for a gown for a function my husband and I were going to. A gown for myself was $300 or more. We have a lot of people in our community without income right now. I thought what it would be like to have a daughter in high school and not be able to buy her a gown for her prom," said Mrs. Quinn.
With the help of Christ Community Church's small congregation -- "We have maybe 75 on Sunday" -- she formed Prom Ministry.
Within two months she had collected 700 donated gowns. The church opened its doors for one day of free shopping and welcomed any high school girl from anywhere in the area who couldn't afford a dress of her own.
"We had people as far south as Birmingham and Dalton, Ga., and as far north as Knoxville and Cookeville here," she said.
Since that debut, she has put her background in marketing and sales to use and developed a strategic plan to make this year's shopping day on March 27 even bigger and better.
She has enlisted the services of about three dozen Athens merchants. Food Lion will provide refreshments. The McMinn County Sheriff's Department will give presentations on the consequences of drinking and driving. A Mary Kay representative will offer makeup tips.
Katie Morgan, a Tennessee Wesleyan College senior, has organized a group of 30 sorority women who will be on hand next Saturday to help teens with fittings. These collegians, trained by stylists at The Cut Above salon, will also do hair and nails.
"Next Saturday we're going to be handing out cards with phone numbers where the girls can call to get appointments for hair and nails on prom day. We also hope to mentor some of the girls by partnering them with a sorority girl," said Ms. Morgan.
Magnolia Cleaners in Athens has offered to clean all the gowns for free once the girls make their selections.
Mrs. Quinn said she has expanded formalwear offerings.
This year she has two dozen tuxes for guys to try on. Evening gown sizes have increased to include plus sizes up to size 36.
She said Joyous Occasion Bridal Shop in Knoxville gave 400 new gowns for the event. An anonymous donor with another bridal shop donated two hundred dresses.
"The whole church auditorium will be turned into a boutique. We want girls to try on six or eight gowns and make a selection, feel like they have a choice in what they wear," said Mrs. Quinn.
"Some of the gowns have $1,500 price tags on them, and very few girls can afford gowns like that."
"People everywhere are struggling, we're all in this together," she said. "Prom Ministry is meant to put a smile on girls' faces, and to get people to help their community."
If You Go
* What: Prom Ministry 2010.
* When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 27.
* Where: Christ Community Church, 14 S. Congress Parkway, Athens, Tenn.
* Admission: Free; girls under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.
* Gown sizes: 0 to 36.
* Web site: www.cccathens.org.
Drop-Off sites for Prom Ministry
Kathy Quinn will accept donated gowns and tuxedos until noon Friday. Drop them off at any of the following locations:
ATHENS, TENN.
* Aaron's Sales and Lease, 1514 S. Congress Parkway
* Athens Realty, 627 Congress Parkway
* Athens Wholesale, 215 N. White St.
* Badcock Home Furnishings Center, 109 W. Madison Ave.
* Christ Community Church, 14 S. Congress Parkway
* Citizens National Bank Athens, 1612 S. Congress Parkway
* Daily Post Athenian, 320 Jackson St.
* Heavenly Creations by Jen, 1311-B Railroad Ave.
* Magnolia Cleaners, 1205 Decatur Pike
* Uniforms for You, 311 N. Congress Parkway
* Wholesale Auto Inc., 1021 Decatur Pike
CHATTANOOGA
* Cash Express, 4927 Brainerd Road
* Cash Express, 7431 East Brainerd Road
* Cash Express, 3936 Ringgold Road
* Cash Express, 5227 Highway 153
* Cash Express, 3216-A Dayton Blvd.
* Cash Express, 9733 Dayton Pike
OTHER TENNESSEE CITIES
* Cash Express, 130 Cherry St., Dayton
* Cash Express, 15367 Rankin Ave., Dunlap
* Cash Express, 320 N. Tennessee Ave., Etowah
* Cash Express, 969 Main St., Kimball
* Cash Express, 231 Cleveland Ave., Pikeville
* Cash Express, 345 Front St., Spring City
* Shop The World Gifts, 3230 Highway 411, Englewood
Susan Palmer Pierce is a reporter and columnist in the Life department. She began her journalism career as a summer employee 1972 for the News Free Press, typing bridal announcements and photo captions. She became a full-time employee in 1980, working her way up to feature writer, then special sections editor, then Lifestyle editor in 1995 until the merge of the NFP and Times in 1999. She was honored with the 2007 Chattanooga Woman of ...
What a fabulous mission! I should donate the dresses that are taking up all the space in my closet! I have like 5 or 6 prom dresses and homecoming dresses that I got from www.promgirl.net. You can't even tell I wore them.
Or login with:
New Account