Inside Becca’s Closet: A mission to dress teens for formal events

The organization Becca’s Closet, which helps young girls get access to formal dresses for dances and proms, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Cape Girardeau is the home to one of two Missouri chapters, and one of 51 in the U.S.

The first Becca’s Closet was created by Rebecca Kirtman when she was a freshman. She collected and donated over 250 formal dresses and helped hundreds of girls across South Florida. On Aug. 20, 2003, Rebecca died in a car wreck. Her parents, Pam and Jay Kirtman, kept her memory alive by growing her idea into a national movement.

Pam Kirtman said the chapters formed organically. In addition to the Becca’s Closet in Cape Girardeau, the other Missouri chapter was organized in Marshall. The Cape Girardeau chapter, named SEMO Prom Mothers of Cape Presbyterian Churches, started in 2016. They have dresses for homecoming, winter balls and proms. From size 0 to 28, there are dresses for any girl looking for a dream formal dress. Since starting in 2016 the Cape Girardeau chapter has helped 1,368 girls get formal dresses.

The Kirtmans, who founded Becca’s Closet, traveled to Cape Girardeau to see how this chapter was going and to show their support to the volunteers, communities and partners who support the closets. They said it is important to put a face to the name after being behind emails and phone calls with the different volunteers.

By going to each chapter, they see how people honor and remember Rebecca, Pam Kirtman said. Each chapter is different in the way they pick up on things about Rebecca, she said. The Cape Girardeau chapter picks up on her love of monkeys and has several stuffed animal monkeys around the shop.

Pam Kirtman said Rebecca also loved the TV show “Friends”. After Rebecca passed away, someone caught wind of her love of these two things and the family was able to send the stuffed animal to the “Friends” set, where it was put in a scene when the TV show character Rachel had a baby shower. Little things such as the monkeys around the shop make a big impact on how Becca’s Closet is run.

“It’s not the dresses, not the wonderful people who volunteer, it’s the thought. As Rebecca said, the little things make a big difference. That is shown right here, in the pictures, the signs, it’s the little things the chapter has done,” Jay Kirtman said as he looked around the shop pointing to the numerous monkeys on display.

Becca’s Closet offers a wide variety of dresses, from short to long and black to neon orange. There are requirements for the dresses that are donated, such as they need to be in great shape, with no holes or tears.

“We’re giving them a dress that is ready to wear in perfect condition and the current styles. So they are indistinguishable from their peers at their event.” Pam Kirtman said.

Donated dresses not up to the requirements are sent to other organizations that can use them, she said. Along with dresses that are donated by communities to their local chapters, there are donations by businesses such as Prom USA, Bird Grey, Jovani, Lulus, Dear Mood and many more, which have started to send in their dresses to be sent out to the different chapters.

“It transforms our inventory into not a lot of brand new dresses which is an incredible luxury for a girl who never has choices, who has to take hand-me-downs at each formal event. She can now pick a dress that has been hanging in a store,” Pam Kirtman said.

Along with dresses, the Cape Girardeau chapter also offers shoes, handbags, jewelry and nail polish for the girls to go through. When a dress and accessories are picked, it is completely free and there is no pressure to donate the dress back.

SEMO Prom Mothers provides a free formal dress from their collection for any high school girl with a student ID. To make an appointment, message the SEMO Prom Mothers Facebook page. The organization is located at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1820 Perryville Road in Cape Girardeau.