When an exchange student comes to the USA, one of their main goals is to live the “American high school experience”. Towards the end of the year, prom is a big part of this experience, and especially if you are a girl, you start stressing out while looking for a dress and shoes pretty early.
Here in Hastings, there are not very many places where you can find a dress and, if you do, they are usually very expensive. That’s why when I heard about “Gowns for Good” in town, I thought I should give it a shot.
I walked in the new YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) building , located at 2525 W. 2nd Street, where “Gowns for Good” takes place and I talked to one of the volunteers, Karen.
She told me that this all started from a place called “the career closet” where women could get outfits for job interviews. Later on, the YWCA’s director thought a place for affordable prom dresses was necessary in Hastings too.
The dresses are donated by different stores and by girls that don’t wear them anymore. To spread the word and get more dresses, “Gowns for Good” used social media, the newspaper, and went on the local news. All of the dresses have to be washed and have properly working buttons and zippers in order to be accepted. More than 20 volunteers are helping the girls in choosing a dresses this year and all the money goes to the YWCA after school activities.
“This is the sixth year we have had Gowns for Good and I am anticipating this is going to be a great year for us. We have already sold 22 dresses,” Karen said.
While walking through the dresses, I met Ilse Giepmans, one of the exchange students attending HHS this year.
“Since I am an exchange student, I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on something I am only going to wear once. I’d rather have a nice, used, cheap dress than an over the top $150 one,” Giepmans said.
Because of this, when she saw the poster in the school library, she decided it was the perfect place to find a dress.
At the beginning, she didn’t really know what to look for.
“Those dresses are very different from the ones I have at home. For example, we don’t have this much glitter or two pieces dresses. Also, I can choose from any color here,”Giepmans said.
Following the dress code, she got a long, simple, and purple dress with matching shoes.
Before she left, I asked for her general impression of Gowns for Good.
“It’s great! I realize that prom is a much bigger deal than it is at home but I suggest all the girls to look for a dress here. Those dresses are great quality and they are all $20 or $30! Who wouldn’t take a deal like this?” Giepmans said.
If you haven’t yet, you can check Gowns for Good out on the following dates: February 23rd from 3 to 7 p.m., on the 24th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on the 25th from 1 to 3 p.m.
