Schools

Viewfinder: Prom Dreams a Reality for these EHS Seniors

Community pulls together to help send a dozen girls from Enumclaw High School to the prom.

It was indeed a female affair Tuesday afternoon at a gathering hall below where a dozen or so seniors from Enumclaw High School got to indulge in playing dress-up, trying on prom dresses, accessories, jewelry, shoes and even make up ahead of their prom this June 4 at the Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club.

This was only the second year that the local committee, Prom Dreams, has been working to extend a helping hand to girls who needed some extra assistance in making their once-in-a-lifetime prom aspirations come true.

The committee and volunteers worked with representatives of the Enumclaw School District to identify students who would benefit most from the project, organizer Sally Zoll said.

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The girls who were interested in seeking help from Prom Dreams were then asked to fill out an application indicating basic needs as well as why they were looking for some help this year -- these girls all responded and were invited Tuesday to come and pick out what they needed, she said.

Organizer Judy Zumwalt said the call for donations went out earlier this year through an announcement in the . Subsequently, a generous outpouring of donations both in funds and in actual prom items came through. 

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More Pennies from Heaven with began to help collect the donated items. 

Among community members who've contributed to this project are:

  • Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Enumclaw Rotary Club
  • Enumclaw Lion's Club
  • Fred Meyer
  • Kiwanis
  • Mary Kay - thanks to local consultant Becky Cates
  • (for corsages and boutineers)
  • in Sumner for cleaning all the donated dresses
  • Multiple individuals who donated money, time and skills including alteration services for the dresses, as needed.

All items the girls selected were theirs to keep, Zoll said.

And the girls' gratitude for the extra help was evident in the stories they shared on their applications.

Leanne Towne said that her family was currently relying solely on income her mother earns. "Prom will be paid for exclusively out of my pocket," she wrote. "I'm trying to save money for college next fall, so I don't have enough for tickets and a dress."

Towne is currently part of the Running Start program at Green River Community College and plans to continue next here towards earning her associate's degree.

Similarly, Juanita Torres has also gotten her acceptance to Washington State University and plans to go there next year to study veterinary medicine. But money is tight for her family. "I got into college so we have to pay to reserve my place," she wrote. "So the money I have saved has to go toward college and that would barely get me a dress."

Carrie Wagner appreciates how hard her mother works with two jobs to make ends meet and pay the bills. "We don't often have extra money," she wrote. "I want to participate because prom only happens once."

And Natasha Alexander wrote to the committee: "I didn't want to be a burden on my family since they are trying hard to get back everything we lost in our house fire last year."


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