As spring starts to bloom, prom season begins to sprout.
Meeting the formal expectations of a student’s prom night could be an expensive endeavor for many.
Volunteers like Sharon Jarnagin and Gina Schmitz have been working hard to make prom night one to remember – without spending exorbitant amounts of money.
On Monday, Jarnagin packed every inch of a sedan with shirts, suits, and pants. Hundreds of garments were able to fill three separate racks that were rolled into a room where hundreds of other tuxedos and men’s formal wear were hung.
“I still remember the dress I wore,” said Jarnagin with a smile on her face.
In another room, even more, elegant dresses range wall-to-wall. Most of them are gently used while others are brand new with the tags still on them.
“This you could walk into Macy’s and find this dress right now,” said Gina Schmitz, project manager for the Prom Closet, also with the Peoria North Rotary Club.
This weekend, the prom closet will open its doors for the upcoming season.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 25 and 26, and again on April 1 and 2, any students can line up at 7677 W. Bethany Home in Glendale to grab their new outfits for prom.
Schmitz says adding shoes or other accessories can make prom unaffordable for many families.
The prom closet aims to make prom more affordable to participate in.
Students can have an opportunity to get a volunteer personal shopper to help them pick out what they want.
Volunteer cleaners and tailors are also on-site to help make the dress or tux fit the student.
More than a decade ago, the prom closet started with less than five dressing rooms and now there are more than a dozen. Schmitz admits the first day is typically the busiest but donations continue to come in.
If you’re interested in donating, there are places around the Valley that take drop-off locations.