Beautiful on a budget: Donated prom dresses on sale in Elgin
South Elgin dad Joe DeRolf remembers taking his daughter shopping for a prom dress when she was a freshman.
He and Kayla, now a senior at South Elgin High School, spent a lot of money - and time - at the mall.
So Joe DeRolf didn't have to do too much convincing to get his daughter to check out the dresses, jewelry and shoes offered at the second annual "Wish Upon A Wardrobe" event held Saturday in Elgin.
Hosted by the YWCA and Elgin Junior Service Board, the event allowed high school girls to buy a prom dress and accessories for a total of $20.
"She understands the value of a dollar," DeRolf said, adding that Kayla will be donating her old dresses for next year's event. "It's nice because it gives everybody a chance to shine. Everybody gets to wear something nice, and you can afford it."
Organizers also reached out to Elgin Area School District U-46, Community Unit District 300, and Central Community Unit District 301 counselors to find girls who needed some extra help to pay for prom.
They received their wares for free and had two hours to browse more than 500 dresses before the public did.
Elgin Julie Jindra brought her daughter Becca to shop for a dress to wear to prom at Larkin High School. Becca Jindra said she was probably going with a bunch of her girlfriends and was searching for a purple dress.
"This is an amazing opportunity. It's so nice to see the community come together on this," Julie Jindra said, adding "This is a way to reuse and recycle. Most of these dresses have been worn once."
Mary Ledebuhr, an Elgin Junior Service Board member, said girls who came were excited and grateful. "It's a feel-good experience," she said.
Next year, the event will be even bigger, when the YWCA and Junior Service Board take over the Junior League of Kane and DuPage County's "Cinderella's Closet," which provides hundreds of dresses to underprivileged girls.
An estimated 3,000 dresses were to arrive from Aurora Saturday afternoon, said YWCA Chief Executive Officers Julia McLendon.
This year, organizers publicized the event much more, and by 11:30 a.m. they had already topped the number of students served in 2009.
Overall, 143 people, 80 of them girls, got free or discounted dresses on Saturday, McLendon said.