She had a prom to go to. What she didn’t have was a dress.
Her family drove in from Ava to visit the Elisabeth Esther Prom Closet. She tried on one dress. The first one.
She stood in front of the mirror. She didn’t want to take it off.
And she didn’t have to. The dress was hers to keep. No cost.
When her aunt found out, she had one question.
Where can we donate?
Formal wear, shoes, and everything that goes with them can cost more than a family has.
A dress can look like a small thing. It isn’t. Kids who feel they belong in high school and get to take part in traditions like these are less likely to struggle with depression as adults, even after hard childhoods.
That’s why the Prom Closet exists. It has hundreds of dresses, suits, shoes, and everything in between, ready for whoever needs them.
It’s always free for foster, kinship, guardianship, and adoptive families. Anyone else can take an outfit home for a $50 donation or five volunteer hours, or rent one with a $10 deposit.
So far this year, more than 53 dresses and suits have gone out the door to big nights across the region.
Not just for prom. Not just for teens. Not just for Lebanon.
Every dress and suit on those racks was given by someone who wanted a stranger to feel like that in front of the mirror.
In the Ozarks, this is what community looks like.
CARRY HOPE – DAY 9 OF 30
For 30 days in November, discover the people, the needs, and the ways this community responds.
Follow the 30-day challenge
What you can do
Carry Hope
For 30 days in November, we are sharing one story a day about a real challenge facing children and families in the Missouri Ozarks, what is being done about it, and how you can help carry it.
Read more Carry Hope stories →Our Matching Partners
Thanks to these partners, $25,500 is waiting to match your gifts this November.
| Dr. Dawn and Dean Barker |  |  |
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Along with a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
