Thank you for making the 2023 Giveaway a success! |
We couldn't have done it without the students and volunteers!
The energy and smiles were fantastic and overwhelmingly contagious at our Prom Dress Giveaway last month. More dresses and more students than ever before! And so many smiles!
A huge thank you to the more than 400 volunteers who showed up for Thursday's loading trucks and set up and Friday's Giveaway for Students with Special Needs and then all day Saturday and Sunday to work with students and then for Sunday's tear down and back to the Clubhouse. It was amazing!
In total, Abby's Closet distributed almost 3,700 dresses this spring - At the Prom Dress Giveaway, approximately 1,600 dresses left with students, 35 at our Giveaway for Students with Special Needs; 2,000 dresses went to schools across Oregon and Washington through our Sharing the Love program; and 45 dresses from Abby's Closet will be worn this year by students on the Rose Festival Court.
Remaining dresses have been packed up and placed in storage to be ready for next year's event. Be sure to watch our website, follow us on social, and check our upcoming newsletters for the announcement of our 2024 date in the next few months and deadlines for Sharing the Love applications.
A huge shout out to our sponsors - Brides for a Cause; First, Inc.; Master Movers; Move Makers; Titan Freight; PacTrust; and Mr. Formal. Their generous support helped make the Giveaway and other Abby's Closet programs possible! And thank you to The Oregon Convention Center, who continues to partner with us each year to make the event a success.
Thank you and keep shining!
-Abby's Closet Board of Directors
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Sharing the Love Update: Dresses sent across Oregon & Washington
Nearly 2,000 dresses were packed up and delivered to schools across Oregon and Washington after the Prom Dress Giveaway through the Abby's Closet Sharing the Love program.
Twenty schools who could not attend the event because of distance or other difficulties received the boxes, which were picked up and delivered by volunteers, school staff members, teachers, and principals or sent via Titan Freight. Titan Freight generously delivered dresses to 11 different schools in eight cities.
One of our new STL partners, Prosser High School, had a representative pick up 100 packed up dresses at the Giveaway and then worked with students at the school to host their own Giveaway, inviting students from surrounding communities. Being more than 40 miles from a mall, prom dress shopping is not easy and Abby's Closet got dresses directly to their hometown.
Although Sharing the Love was started in 2018, this was the primary method of getting dresses to students during the pandemic when the Giveaway was not held in person. Since then the program has grown and selected schools apply and are chosen based on need and distance.
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Photos: (L to R) Students and volunteers set up a Prom Dress Giveaway at Prossier (WA) High School with Abby's Closet dresses; Titan Freight picks up boxes of Sharing the Love dresses packed by volunteers and board members to deliver in Oregon and Washington. |
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2023 Scholarship winners open Prom Dress Giveaway |
Our four Dreams scholarship winners helped us cut the ribbon and were the first to shop at the Prom Dress Giveaway. This year's winners are: Hanna Bailey, 4-Year College or University Scholarship (Columbia River High School, Vancouver, WA); Avery Lord, Elaine A. Davis Memorial Scholarship (Silverton High School, Silverton, OR); Kaitlin Mattson, Community College Scholarship (Monroe High School, Monroe, OR); and Ruby Rodriguez-Rojas, Trade School Scholarship (David Douglas High School, Portland, OR).
We are proud to have awarded nearly $10,000 to these four outstanding high school seniors and since 2011 have awarded 34 scholarships totaling $52,500.
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A snapshot of the Giveaway! Smile! |
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How can I help? Looking for ways to get involved with Abby's Closet? |
The Prom Dress Giveaway is only once a year, but we rely on volunteers all year long to support our planning and preparation. There are many ways to lend a hand to Abby's Closet!
- Join our Dress Repair Team
- Help pick up donations around the wider Portland Metro area from designated Donation Drop Off Sites
- Host a Dress Drive at your business, school, church, community center
- Join our procurement team to solicit silent auction items for our Holiday Tea (November 2023)
- Have a special skill you'd like to help with? Sponsorships, Event Planning, Photography? Join one of our committees!
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Know a student attending prom and looking for a tuxedo? We can help! |
Support Abby's Closet and our partner Mr. Formal and rent a tuxedo using a coupon that donates $5 back to Abby's Closet.
Mr. Formal has three locations:
- Beaverton (3905 SW 117th)
- Portland (1103 SE 7th Ave)
- Salem (2265 Lancaster Dr. NE)
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www.abbyscloset.org and on social @abbysclosetpdx |
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