When people move they often come across a lot of things they don’t really use anymore – like that prom dress for example. If this ever happens to you, think about donating it to a young woman that might like to go to prom but could never afford a proper dress. That is where Abby’s Closet comes in. They collect formal dresses and gowns and give them to worthy young women so they can attend prom and other meaningful events.
When we heard about what they were doing in our community we wanted to get involved. We are now the official transportation to many beautiful gowns and dresses that are getting a new life, building confidence and respect for some important young women.
Donate your formal gowns and dresses here.
Mission Statement
To inspire confidence and respect in high school women by providing free formal gowns for prom and other memorable events.
To download a copy of an Abby’s Closet brochure, click HERE.
It Started with a Pink Prom Dress. When Abby Egland of West Linn, Oregon was cleaning out her closet before starting college, she wondered how she could best pass along the pretty pink dress that she had worn to her Prom. Her mom, Sally Egland, had a great idea: why not start a volunteer group that collects formal dresses, and then give them away each spring to high school women who needed them for their prom? This was the start of Abby’s Closet in 2004.
The Prom Gown Giveaway. Abby and Sally asked some of their co-workers and friends to help collect the dresses from high schools, other moms, businesses and those who heard about Abby’s Closet through the local media. The first year over 300 high school women came to the prom gown giveaway in April and almost all left with a beautiful dress that they picked out from the hundreds collected by the volunteers. Most had not been able to afford to buy the expensive gowns in stores, so they were very happy to be able to go to prom in a beautiful dress after all, thanks to Abby’s Closet. The Prom Gown Giveaway Events have grown each year. To date, Abby’s Closet has given away over 5,000 prom gowns.
The Word Spreads. The first year, most of the young women who received gowns came from the Portland, Oregon area, but soon high school women who lived further away heard about the giveaway. Students from small towns convinced their mothers to carpool a group to Portland, often arriving as early as 4:30 am to get a good place in line for the 8 am opening. Some students found business sponsors in their towns to pay for a school bus to bring the girls to the gown giveaway event. This year the Board members of Abby’s Closet have called all high schools, public and private, within 150 miles of the gown giveaway event, to be sure they know that their students are welcome to come select a free prom gown from the 4,500+ that have been collected.
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