21st Annual 'Belle of the Ball' Prom Dress Drive Begins In Tewksbury

Press release via Caring Partners

TEWKSBURY, MA – Over the past 21 years, participants of Belle of the Ball, New England’s largest prom dress drive, have described the experience as powerful and moving not only because of the financial support and how they looked, but because of the positive change in the way they felt about themselves. Caring Partners is once again collecting gently used trendy prom dresses, and will inspect and dry clean them before distributing to students in need at a high-energy Boutique Day shopping event this spring. This year’s drive runs February 3 through March 16th at any Jordan’s Furniture, Enterprise Bank, or Anton’s Cleaners locations. (See antons.com, jordans.com or enterprisebanking.com for a location near you).

Caring Partners’ “Belle of the Ball” prom dress drive transforms high school junior and senior girls through the generosity of donors, sponsors and volunteers -- true Caring Partners working toward one mission: any girl who needs a prom dress will have one.

Ways to help:

1. DONATE A DRESS. Drop off your trendy, good quality, gently worn prom dress (plus sizes appreciated) to any Anton’s Cleaners, Enterprise Bank, or Jordan’s Furniture location. Anton’s Cleaners then cleans the donated prom dresses at no charge, and distributes them to high school junior and senior girls who could not otherwise afford to attend their prom.

2. REFER A GIRL. For school administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, social service agency, or clergy members seeking to refer a high school junior or senior girl in need, referrals are welcome online only with a deadline of March 14th: https://antons.com/belle/receive-a-dress/refer/. Belle of the Ball also provides customizable flyers to share: https://antons.com/belle/about/promotional-materials/

3. REQUEST A BUS - SCHOOL GROUPS WELCOME! Sending a large group of high school girls? Caring Partners may pay for bus transportation upon request for 30 or more students based on availability (up to 20 buses total will be granted). Email info@caringpartnersinc.org for details; early referrals have best options and time slots. All appointments are based on availability. Bus transportation and referral forms must be completed by a guidance counselor, teacher, church leader, or social service representative and are granted on a first-come, first serve basis.

4. VOLUNTEER OR ORGANIZE A DRESS COLLECTION DRIVE. Any organization, neighborhood, alumni friend group or nonprofit interested in holding a prom dress collection drive, making an in-kind donation, or volunteer at the boutique can sign up online now at antons.com/belle

5. DONATE. Monetary donations are welcome through the website to pay for new accessories.

6. VOLUNTEER AT BOUTIQUE DAY (3/22). Caring individuals are invited to register now (antons.com/belle) to assist with personal shopping (afternoon shift is most needed), light alterations, registration, event setup/breakdown, and more.

BOUTIQUE DAY: The Belle of the Ball prom gown collection culminates in an invitation-only “boutique” event where deserving and pre-qualified girls are invited for a day of personal shopping and pampering – a powerful personal experience. This year, over 1500 girls will be invited to enjoy Boutique Day at the Hynes Convention Center, with thousands of dry-cleaned dresses organized displayed by size, color and styles. Monetary and in-kind donations are needed to pay for jewelry, makeup and other accessories and prom-related services: visit antons.com/belle for a financial donation to Caring Partners, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

According to Arthur Anton Jr., COO, Anton’s Cleaners, and a founder of Belle of the Ball, “As we approach an incredible 100,000 prom dresses collected and cleaned, we are proud to remain true to our mission: every high school girl should have the experience of feeling beautiful. When finances are tight and every dollar counts, Belle of the Ball ensures that every student who wants to attend prom will have the perfect prom ensemble to wear.”

“We are happy to continue our support of Belle of the Ball, and invite our generous customers to bring their dresses and gowns to any one of our stores,” said corporate partner Eliot Tatelman, President of Jordan’s Furniture. “I look forward to returning to visit Belle of the Ball and seeing these girls transformed. Belle of the Ball truly changes lives, and we are proud to support this worthy cause since its inception.”

Enterprise Bank Community Relations Director and Caring Partners Board Member Alison Burns banks on her supportive team to put the company mission into action each year. According to Burns, “Proms are a major life event, but can also be a major financial burden. Our Enterprise Bank family is proud to make a positive difference in the communities we serve.”

Over the years, girls have shared final prom dress photos and written to the program with transformative stories, describing the impact Belle of the Ball has had on their lives – with many returning to volunteer long after their prom is over. To date, over 7,303 girls have been outfitted since Belle of the Ball began in 2005, with over $4.2 M in dry cleaning services donated by Anton’s since the program’s inception.

For more information about Caring Partners’ Belle of the Ball, visit antons.com/belle.