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Project Princess Dress Drive a success

| 18 Jan 2016 | 03:34
    A dress giveaway last Saturday was part of a DECA project organized by Jenna Day, 17, center, of Barry Lakes, and Emily Garosall, left, and Simone Marchesin, right, both 18 from Highland Lakes.
    A dress giveaway last Saturday was part of a DECA project organized by Jenna Day, 17, center, of Barry Lakes, and Emily Garosall, left, and Simone Marchesin, right, both 18 from Highland Lakes.
    Laura Bartol, 17, of Vernon peruses the beautiful semiformal and prom dresses being given away though the "Project Princess Dress Drive."
    Laura Bartol, 17, of Vernon peruses the beautiful semiformal and prom dresses being given away though the "Project Princess Dress Drive."
    þÄúProject Princess Dress DriveþÄù organizers Emily Garosall, left, Simone Marchesin, center, and Jenna Day, right, adjust the semiformal and prom dresses that will be given away.
    þÄúProject Princess Dress DriveþÄù organizers Emily Garosall, left, Simone Marchesin, center, and Jenna Day, right, adjust the semiformal and prom dresses that will be given away.
    A project organized by members of DECAþÄôs Vernon Chapter, "Project Princess Dress Drive" gave away almost 100 semiformal and prom dresses.
    A project organized by members of DECAþÄôs Vernon Chapter, "Project Princess Dress Drive" gave away almost 100 semiformal and prom dresses.
    Kaitlyn Gallaugher, 17, of Highland Lakes, tries on one of the dresses that were available for free through a project organized by members of DECAþÄôs Vernon Chapter.
    Kaitlyn Gallaugher, 17, of Highland Lakes, tries on one of the dresses that were available for free through a project organized by members of DECAþÄôs Vernon Chapter.

VERNON — It seems a shame to spend so much money on a dress that is only worn once to an eighth-grade year-end dance, or to a wedding, or maybe to a third Sweet 16 party.

And what if you can’t afford that ideal gown for this year’s prom?

Jenna Day, 17, who is Miss Vernon and lives in Barry Lakes, and Emily Garosall and Simone Marchesin, both 18 and from Highland Lakes, had a solution: free dresses. As members of DECA’s Vernon Chapter, “Project Princess Dress Drive” is their chosen project.

As part of the project, any young lady or woman who wanted a dress could peruse through the nearly 200 free semiformal and prom dresses that were available. Upon completion of the project, a written report will be submitted for a statewide DECA competition.

DECA is an organization that helps prepare high school and college students to be leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Day, Garosall and Marchesin attend Vernon Township High School and are in the same marketing class. Besides working through their school to acquire and distribute the dresses, social media sites, directed emails, and newspapers were a major source for the collecting and for informing people of the distribution events.

The last event was held on Saturday at Our Lady of Fatima Church, on Breakneck Road in Highland Lakes. Overall, with close to 200 dresses collected in total, only 90 dresses were untaken. The remaining dresses will be donated to a local organization that can continue their effects for the right dress to reach the right person.

— Photos by Chris Wyman