Every Girl Deserves to Be a "Belle of the Ball"

by Jackie Kelley

Prom is approaching quickly at Woburn High School and many girls are starting to worry about finding prom dresses.  They are also starting to stress about how much money they are going to drop on their precious gowns.  Many girls spend hundreds of dollars on gorgeous gowns that only get worn once and are then subjected to the closet to collect dust for years.  The closet, however, does not have to be a final resting place for these dresses.

Gently used gowns can be donated to a program called Belle of the Ball.  In 2005, Anton’s Cleaners started Belle of the Ball to collect prom dresses for local high school juniors and seniors that could not afford their own gowns.  Over the past eight years, Belle of the Ball has become an incredible success. 

When the program first began, it provided less than 100 girls with prom dresses, but now it is responsible for helping nearly 400 girls a year find a dress they love.  Not only does Belle of the Ball indulge these young ladies with beautiful dresses, but it also treats them to an entire fun-filled day where they can browse all of the dresses available to them and learn beauty tips and tricks for their big night. 

Those that are able to attend the event and receive a dress always enjoy the event not only because they find a lovely gown, but because they meet many lovely people and are engaged in a truly positive experience. 

They are not the only ones that benefit, however.  Those that donate the dresses always feel great too knowing they have made a significant difference in another girl’s life.  With that in mind, junior April Drolette wishes to participate.

“Yes I would [donate my dresses] because you only really get to wear the dress once and every girl deserves to look and feel beautiful on their prom night,” said Drolette.

Senior Kristen Buehler wants to get involved too

“Yeah I think it’s such a good idea.  Most of us buy a dress, wear it for the night and then it sits in our closet, so to have the opportunity to give the dress to someone who needs it is great,” said Buehler.

Senior Danysha Maitre realizes it would be hard to part with her dress, but believes the cause is too good to pass up.

“I feel like if a girl really needed it, I would [donate my dress] because every girl deserves the chance to feel beautiful at their prom and part of that is the dress,” said Maitre, “[After donating] I would feel awesome and hope that she accessorizes it perfectly.”   

With prom season almost upon us, it is important to donate any dresses you are willing to give so that other girls can have the prom night of their dreams.  Not only will you feel great for donating, but you will make another girl feel great too. 

Donations must be received by April 1.  For more information on the Belle of the Ball program and to find the collection agency closest to you, visit:  http://antons.com/belle/.