Some extra help getting to prom

Shopping for a prom dress has been a rite of passage for many high schoolers, but in these dismal economic times, the “Prom Project” is hoping recycling gently-used dress becomes the new vogue.
 
City College’s NYPIRG chapter spread word about their project though Facebook, Craigslist, DonateMyDress.com and at Saks Fifth Avenue to collect the nearly 300 dresses they’ll be giving to students this Saturday (along with stylists’ tips and HIV/AIDS awareness).

“There was a need in my high school,” said volunteer Sagirah Lewis-Simmons, 17, a senior at the High School for Math, Science and Engineering.  With senior dues and college application fees, the $120 prom ticket is a reach for many in her largely-immigrant Upper Manhattan community, she noted.

“We’re trying to make prom as cost effective as possible,” Lewis-Simmons said. They picked Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows because it’s accessible by train, though she will likely take a private car run by her father’s friend.

Organizers hope the two Vera Wangs and other donated gems — some of which are brand new — will destigmatize hand-me-downs.

“Don’t we borrow dresses, shoes and other things from our friends, sisters, aunts?” said Saima Ahmed, 23, Prom Project coordinator. “I didn’t go to my own prom. I didn’t want to bombard my parents with financial obligations. It’s really expensive.”