Staff members from AIA Corporation, a distributorship based in Neenah, Wis., donated their gently used prom, homecoming, bridesmaid and cocktail dresses to help support a local program.
“Crowns and Gowns” is an event that was created by a Green Bay native Autumn Brown. The mission is to seek out and help students who are in financial need, especially those that do not have the ability or financial support to purchase a dress for themselves. The program started in 2008 and has grown to help hundreds of students throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Social workers, teachers and student counselors refer the low income students to the program. The girls then get to peruse through hundreds of dresses in the “Crowns and Gowns” prom closet.
AIA Corporation employee Tonya Forer saw the program on the news and immediately contacted others about participating. “When I heard about the Crowns to Gowns dress drive, I instantly thought about my own prom (gown) and how special it made me feel,” she said. “Being that prom is such a memorable part of a girl’s high school experience; I don’t think anyone should have to miss out just because they (or their family) cannot afford a gown.”
“With the number of women in our office, I thought this was the perfect chance for us to offer some girls in need a golden opportunity, and it worked … we collected just over 30 gowns that will be offered to girls in Northeast Wisconsin in hopes of creating that same special prom memory for each and every one of them,” Forer said.
For more information, visit www.aiacommunity.com.
