Nika Kouassi

Marian Momentum’s first-ever annual Prom Dress Fundraiser was held on Saturday, Feb. 24. Originally supposed to start in 2023 but canceled due to lack of donations, the Prom dress fundraiser was created in hopes of helping fund Marian’s show choir, Momentum. However, the fundraiser went far beyond expectations and brought joy to faces as girls finally found “the dress.” 

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the PAC turned into a Prom dress wonderland open to Marian students and more. After the fundraiser, Mrs. Michelle Delisi, assistant to the principal and Co-Director of Momentum, sold dresses for a week in March during lunch blocks. Dresses ranged from $20-$40 with a 90% discount if the dress had any tears or rips.

 The dresses were accepted since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year from all Marian girls and any needed alterations were made by Mrs. Yeny Martinez, mother of senior Jadin and freshman Leah Martinez. The colorful dresses surely met the colorful expressions of happiness and relief of girls who found their dresses. The varying sizes in dresses, as well as the mix of modern to 2000s vintage dresses, truly encapsulated the wide variety of Prom dress trends over the years. 

The Prom dress fundraiser brought relief to girls who were feeling the stresses of dress shopping. “On a [stress] scale from 1 to 10, [I was at] an 8 trying to find a prom dress. I ended up not finding the “perfect” one, but I did find what worked for me,” senior Pertilyne Aclinou said. Over the years, the cost of Prom has been skyrocketing and the prices become more unattainable to teenagers, “We shouldn’t be blowing off $1,000 for hair, makeup, nails and especially dresses,” Aclinou said.

“Some advice I would give is that Prom is only one night out of the many you will live after high school. Don’t worry that the ‘perfect’ dress isn’t available in your size or sold out, and don’t be afraid to wear that one dress you had in your closet you loved some time ago. Be confident and walk in that venue with pride because I can assure you that you won’t end up twinning with someone, which might be more embarrassing,” Aclinou said. 

In total, the fundraiser raised $1200, all of which will go back into decreasing the cost of Momentum’s 2024-2025 season. However, at the end of the fundraiser, there were still more than 50 dresses left that will be saved for next year’s Prom dress fundraiser. Delisi is planning to host the next prom dress fundraiser in December and is always looking for more donations. Consider donating to this sustainable fundraiser.