Gorgeous dresses, great prices, happy shoppers
BY GINNY RAUE
WEST MILFORD — When the West Milford High School Interact Club, a Rotary sponsored service club for teens, planned its first Cinderella Project dress sale, members couldn’t know how it would play out. They probably never dreamed they would have over 200 formal dresses and gowns donated to the sale, nor could they imagine the quality of the goods they would receive.
Over this past weekend young ladies, often escorted by their moms, were pleasantly surprised when they stopped by the sale at the Hillcrest Community Center. What a great place to shop for a gown.
“When some of them came in, their jaws dropped,” said the president of the Interact Club, Danielle Burns. “They didn’t realize there would be such gorgeous dresses, some with the price tags still on. There was one $500 dress that sold for $50.”
There were definitely bargains to be had. Most of the short dresses sold for between $10 and $20; none were over $50. Some girls walked out with “an armful” of dresses. In all, approximately 70 dresses were sold and the remainder will be donated to a Cinderella Project chapter to be given away to girls in need.
The sale made a tidy profit, around $900, and then the Rotary stepped up with a donation of $250. That cash will be discreetly given to local teens who need financial assistance to get to their proms this year.
Burns said the Interact members are grateful to those who donated their dresses as well as to the Rotary for their support and their monetary assistance. They plan on having a debriefing session this week at school and are turning their thoughts to a possible second sale in the spring or summer.
“I’m always looking for a bargain, for 20 percent off sales,” Burns said. And she did her part for the event by donating her junior prom dress from last year.
“It was emotional, I thought of the first time I tried it on," she said. But it was sold to a friend of mine for her prom and it will be making another girl into a princess for the night.”
As far as the proceeds being funneled to the kids who need it to get to that special dance, Burns said she’s not sure how many kids will be on the receiving end but, “Even if it’s just five people, that will be touching five lives."