'I feel for them'

Like most girls her age, 16-year-old Grace Lysell of Jackson loves clothes and getting all dressed up for formal occasions.

But before a member of her church approached her about a national charity called Becca's Closet, Lysell admitted she never gave much thought to what it must be like having nothing to wear to the big dance -- and no way to buy anything, either.

"I feel like I'm lucky and grateful that I've never been in a situation like that," she said.

After talking with fellow First Presbyterian parishioner Brenda Randolph, who brought the Becca's Closet concept to the local area, Lysell began to realize many of her peers are unable to attend winter formals and spring proms because they can't afford to buy fancy dresses.

"I feel for them, because I know dances are really special to me," Lysell said.

Prom dresses hang on racks Grace Lysell, not pictured, helped collect as part of the project Becca's Closet.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

So, since the beginning of the school year, the high-school junior has been serving as a teen liaison for the church's SEMO Prom Mothers group to gather new and gently used formalwear under the auspices of Becca's Closet, begun by a Florida girl named Becca Kirtman who died in 2003.

Kirtman, a 16-year-old honor student and cheerleader, had launched a dress drive in her freshman year of high school that collected hundreds of gowns for fellow students who couldn't afford them.

After Kirtman was killed in a car accident, her family established Becca's Closet chapters all over the country to honor her memory.

Randolph, who is from the local area but moved to the northern part of the state for work several years ago, first encountered Becca's Closet at her church in Marshall, Missouri.

She volunteered for that chapter for 10 years, and shortly after moving back to the Cape Girardeau area recently, worked to begin another at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson.

Grace Lysell, 16, from Jackson poses for a photo with the prom dresses she helped collect as part of the project Becca's Closet with the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

"The one we started in Marshall was the first in Missouri. This one will be the second," Randolph said.

Already, Randolph, Lysell and others have collected 200 dresses for this year's prom season, with more coming in every day.

The dresses will be given to any area girls who bring their school identification cards and make appointments to shop at the Steck House next to the church along Washington Street in Jackson.

The house, which is owned by the church, has walk-in closets and other spaces that will be filled with dresses, shoes and accessories to accommodate five girls at a time.

Once the young women choose what they want, they can either keep the dresses or return them for someone else to use.

Prom dresses hang on racks that Grace Lysell (not pictured) helped collect as part of the project Becca's Closet with the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

Any cash donations that come in are used to buy dresses in hard-to-find sizes, such as 0-1 and plus sizes.

In the meantime, the group is holding a couple of events this week that are sure to be a hit with bargain hunters.

Today through Saturday, a Bridesmaid Blowout will be held at the Steck House, in which dresses in darker, more winter-appropriate colors and mother-of-the-bride attire will be sold for $5 and $10 apiece. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, short party dresses and winter formalwear will be available at no cost. Both shopping events are open to the public.

"Saturday is kind of going to be our trial run," Randolph said.

Prom dresses hang on racks that Grace Lysell (not pictured) helped collect as part of the project Becca's Closet with the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

Anyone interested in "shopping" in the spring during prom season is asked to watch for advertised open-house dates at the Steck House.

For more information, call the church at (573) 450-6349 or visit facebook.com/SEMOprommothers.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address:

Prom dresses hang on racks that Grace Lysell, left, helped collect as part of the project Becca's Closet with the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

206 E. Washington St., Jackson, Mo.