Free prom dress giveaway lifts barriers
Events are returning in earnest, and families are being forced to prioritize material things in today’s tight economy. An event hosted by New Beginnings is trying to help.
“Everything now is very expensive,” said Bana Albek, who was helping her daughter look for a dress.
There is a pep in the step of young girls in advance of semi-formal dances and prom season.
“Let's go mom. We were out the door at 8:15. The event starts at 10,” said Sandi Harris, who was one of many who lined up outside for the free-dress giveaway.
“COVID. There weren't proms everywhere. Graduation,” said Stacey Yannacopoulos, executive director of New Beginnings. “A lot of it was virtual so this is the first year that schools are back full force and the kids are excited.”
Suna Albek had a few dresses to try on, “I'm very happy. These dresses would be like a thousand dollars if we had to buy them.”
That kind of disposable income is not readily available in today's economy.
“You don't have to worry about the pressures and the stress of putting out 800 to a thousand dollars for a dress. Look how happy she is,” said Harris.
There were over 500 dresses to choose from with accessories and shoes to boot. It took her daughter Jada 45 minutes to find the right one.
“It's really exciting because it gives kids who don't have the opportunity, who don't have the funding to get the dress of their dreams. It's really a big thing,” she added.
Cielo Larson drove in with her mom from Kingsville for her dress.
“Me, I can't afford something, like, this pretty, and I know a lot of people can't and that's why they miss the opportunity of prom or semi. I'm lucky to have this opportunity that I can,” said Larson.
Donations throughout the year helped make this event a possibility.
Yannacopoulos said donations can be made at New Beginnings or at their other building at 1049 Janette Ave.
“Events like this eliminates one barrier and make this time of year magical and special,” said Yannacopoulos.
Harris is thankful and was thrilled because her daughter was happy, “She will get her grad and seeing her in the dress just brings tears to my eyes [because] she's beautiful.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.