Project Prom Offers Dresses for Girls, Tux for Boys in Need

The 2014 prom season is just around the corner, and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) Event and Donations Team is working diligently on another year of Project Prom and Project Prom for Gentleman.

For more than a decade, Project Prom has allowed teenagers who receive DHS services to attend their proms in style, providing them with free gowns, accessories and more.  For a third year, Project Prom for Gentleman will offer 100 preregistered high school students an evening of instruction in prom etiquette, coupled with a catered meal at which students can practice what they learn. Participants also receive a voucher from Tuxedo Junction for a free tux rental.

Students are eligible for free prom attire if they or a member of their household receive food or utility assistance; live in a foster or group home; receive mental health or intellectual disability services; receive treatment for substance disorders; meet guidelines for free or reduced school lunches; or have a caretaker who receives unemployment benefits.

High school students who may be eligible should visit the Project Prom webpage, www.alleghenycounty.us/dhs/projectprom.aspx, to learn how they can participate.

Dates for the Gown Giveaway at the Project Prom Shop on the third floor of Century III Mall in West Mifflin are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15, and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 17-20.  Project Prom for Gentlemen (pre-registered) will be held from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 10 at Herberman Center, UPMC Shadyside.

A public sale of gowns and accessories will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 29 for students who are not eligible for free attire. Items are available at a great discount – nothing is more than $25.