Donated Gowns Help High School Girls’ Prom Dreams Come True

HOUSTON — MW Cleaners collected, cleaned and donated more than 1,500 dresses this year to The Giving Gown Foundation’s Boutique Days, held April 5-8, MW Cleaners reports.

The gowns collected were cleaned free of charge and subsequently delivered to The Giving Gown Foundation, a nonprofit community service organization that collects donations of new and like-new formal gowns and accessories.

During Boutique Days, staged in a church in the Houston area, high school girls who otherwise could not afford a prom dress were each paired with volunteers from the community, notes MW Cleaners. These “Fairy Godmothers” helped them select a gown, shoes and accessories.

MW Cleaners also provided on-site seamstresses to help other volunteer seamstresses with alterations.

The girls not only experienced an enchanting boutique experience, but also attended a self-esteem seminar and boutique lunch, and received a “swag bag” with items to help them get ready for prom.

“You could count special moments in a person’s lifetime on one or two hands; certainly, one of those has to be your high school prom,” says Mike Nesbit, president, MW Cleaners.

“One of my favorite things about Boutique Days is the transformation that we see in our princesses,” says Cassie Miller, co-director of The Giving Gown Foundation.

This was The Giving Gown Foundation’s largest year. It served 1,400 girls over a four-day period.

“Throughout their time with us,” Miller points out, “they are shown unconditional love and kindness. We uplift them and teach them that they are beautiful and special just as they are.”

Over the last three years of MW Cleaners partnering with The Giving Gown Foundation, MW Cleaners’ MW Cares Prom Dress Drive has collected and cleaned almost 5,000 dresses, the company says.

Members of the public wishing to donate gowns and accessories may bring them to any of the 39 Houston-area and Austin-area MW Cleaners. While all gown donations are appreciated, Miller notes, the greatest needs are for gowns in sizes 16-36.

“At MW Cleaners, we are continually looking for ways to make a positive impact in the community that we serve. It is just a natural extension of what we do each and every day, serving others,” says Nesbit, who has been helping his community for more than 30 years.

Mike Nesbit, president of MW Cleaners, brings donated, and cleaned, prom dresses over to The Giving Gown Foundation’s Boutique Days held earlier this month at a church in the Houston area. This is the third year for MW Cleaners’ MW Cares Prom Dress Drive. (Photos: MW Cleaners)

The Giving Gowns Foundation’s Boutique Days is all set up and ready for high school girls to pick their prom dresses with the help of volunteers, called “Fairy Godmothers,” who guide them to have a magical time.

Cassie Miller (left), president, The Giving Gown Foundation; Kyle Nesbit, VP, MW Cleaners; and Heather Edmonds, The Giving Gown Foundation director, pause for a photo during the recent Boutique Days, which provided gowns to high school girls who otherwise could not afford a prom dress.

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