Dress sale to benefit Safe House, Dreams 2 Reality

Finding that perfect dress for prom, homecoming or a special cocktail party can seem like the most important thing at the time, but when the event over, the dress may just gather dust in a closet.

This year, there's a way to repurpose those dresses -- and benefit a couple of local agencies -- through the Fancy That! Dress Collection and Sale.

Dresses will be collected from noon to 1 p.m. today through Friday in the third-floor lobby of the University Center, and from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Towers lobby each day, Joanna Shaver, coordinator for Southeast Missouri State University's campus programming, Campus Life & Event Services, wrote in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

The sale is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 15 and from 1 to 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Redhawks Room of the University Center on campus.

" ... All of the money raised from the sale will benefit the Cape Girardeau Safe House for Women and Dreams 2 Reality in Sikeston," Shaver wrote.

The event is sponsored by Campus Life & Event Services and Gamma Sigma Sigma service sorority at Southeast.

"We're planning to sell short dresses for $15 and long dresses for $25," Shaver wrote. "Accessories will be $5, and we're still debating about the price of shoes. Since it's the first year, I have not set a target amount to raise. The dresses will be hung like in a store. We'll even have little dressing rooms."

Shaver wrote that she recalls a similar sale in the mid-1990s. "It will be just like a boutique, but in the University Center," she wrote. "This will be the trial year to see how many dresses we collect and how large the turnout will be. I do hope that it's something we can continue each year."

Her initial inspiration came from the Metro St. Louis Cinderella Project, which promotes confidence and self-esteem in young women by providing prom dresses to girls unable to acquire one on their own, the project website said.

"I want anyone to feel like they can afford formal wear for whatever type of event they have -- prom, a wedding, a future homecoming, etc. I also plan to work with the local high school counselors to refer students who may not be able to afford a dress to receive a 'free dress' voucher. These vouchers will be limited," Shaver wrote.

Safe House for Women, a not-for-profit domestic violence shelter, provides a communal living arrangement for victims of domestic violence. It also has 24-hour crisis hotline services, intensive case management, counseling, court advocacy, referral services and education programs, its website said.

In an email from Safe House, shelter director Kim Dixon, a Southeast graduate and former member of Gamma Sigma Sigma, said the Safe House is "delighted to be one of the beneficiaries of their formal dress sale coming in February.

"The students and staff of SEMO have been tremendous supporters of the Safe House through numerous service projects and fundraisers, and we appreciate the time and effort that groups like Gamma Sigma Sigma and the Campus Life and Event Services Office put forth to assist us in meeting the needs of women and children who have experienced domestic violence," Dixon said in the email.

Cindy Taylor, owner and manager of Dreams 2 Reality, said her shop rents formal wear to people nationwide who can't afford to buy a prom dress, tuxedo or wedding dress. She's had the shop for "two years and one week," and all her clothing is donated from across the country.

Since she opened, Taylor said she's helped more than 4,700 girls nationwide, although she does have suits for boys as well ranging from 6 months to adult.

"I am excited; I'm thrilled and very grateful they picked us to do it. We could really use it," Taylor said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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