Donated dresses help low-income prom attendees

Oakland Tribune, Feb 27, 2006 by Karen Holzmeister, STAFF WRITER

HAYWARD -- For millions of teenagers, it's almost spring and time for the most important ritual of all.

No, not graduation.

Focus, instead, on prom.

If you're a young woman, tests, college applications and after- school sports take a back seat to dresses, accessories, tickets, and nail and hair appointments.

If you're a single mom, from a low-income family, or perhaps a foster child living in south Hayward, reality could turn the fantasy of dining and dancing into an impossibility.

We're talking $200 to

$1,000, depending on whether it's a solo or couples night, and if dinner and a limousine are part of the package.

However, women and teens from the greater Hayward area want to ensure Tennyson High School's prom is possible for all junior and senior girls.

Eight students from Moreau and Castro Valley high schools, along with adults from the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District and Hayward Unified School District, are hunting for fancy dresses and accessories, or the money to buy them.

Lisa Rutishauser, 17, of Castro Valley is helping organize a car wash. Kim Valencia, 16, of Fremont is collecting dresses from relatives, and plans to circulate a collection basket among her classmates.

Don't worry too much about high heels, Stephanie Saunders, 17, of Castro Valley suggested.

"They're really only for pictures," she said of experiences at past proms, noting that slipping into flats makes dancing a lot easier.

Besides hitting up friends, relatives, businesses and organizations, the youths are looking for volunteers to solicit or contribute tax-deductible donations until April 5. They also can use help on April 8, when Tennyson's promgoers will be invited to select their attire during a "fashion boutique" at Hayward's Douglas Morrisson Theatre.

Last week, Tennyson Activities Director Monica Manriquez said 50 girls already have registered for the free shop-a-thon. At least another 50 might qualify, making their dream of attending the prom a reality.

The prom will be held later this spring at the San Ramon Marriott. Tickets cost $70 for one person or $140 for a couple, Manriquez said.

"Sometimes I think the prom should be held in the gym," as a way of reducing costs, she explained. Since the prom site is set, Manriquez added, "I'm thankful for this program. If kids get a dress, it shows them they are worthwhile."

The recipients' identities will be confidential, and appointment times at the boutique will be staggered.

Donna Fitzwater, who heads volunteer programs for the park and school districts, said the giveaway originated with HARD administrators who wanted to "fairy godmother" girls in financial need.

Tennyson was selected to launch the program's first year. If successful, the dress and accessory giveaway could be expanded to other schools.

For more information call (510) 888-0102, (510) 881-6704, or (510) 881-6733.