A new and unique kind of drive is occurring at Carlmont during the month of May.
Gowns for Girls is a drive which, unlike many other drives put on by ASB including the blood drive and the food drive, the donations actually benefit the Carlmont community specifically.
Organized by ASB’s Do Something Commission, Gowns for Girls is a prom dress collection drive where dresses are collected, and then available for pick up by anyone who feels that their family cannot afford or is unable to purchase a prom dress for them.
Junior and Do Something commissioner Matthew Irwin said, “Gowns for Girls allows girls who don’t have the money to buy a prom dress to get one from the school, and we offer a discount on prom tickets to those who donate a dress.”
Depending on the quality of the dress, students can get up to $10 off of their prom ticket, which can go a long way for all the expenses required for the event.
Junior Sofia Zwass chose to donate her sister’s old prom dress to the drive.
“I knew that my sister wasn’t going to wear it again and I wasn’t going to wear it, so we both decided that it would be better off going somewhere where someone else can use it and not just have it sit in a closet,” said Zwass.
Sophomore Kazim Haider, who does not have a dress to donate, nor is going to prom, still thinks that the reasons behind the drive make it an important cause.
Haider said, “I like that Gowns for Girls can help to give people who cannot afford it an opportunity to still wear a dress and feel comfortable at prom.”
Students will be able to pick the dresses up two weeks before prom, and nobody is barred from taking a dress if they feel that they need it. Though donations officially ended May 6., students can still bring in dresses until the day before prom.
“Overall, this drive makes prom more affordable and creates a sense of community for those involved,” said Irwin.
