From March 28 to April 28, Women Giving Back hosted their annual prom boutique, providing over 250 high school girls with free, donated prom dresses. The boutique allowed girls, regardless of circumstance or family income, to find a fitting dress and matching shoes, and to feel confident attending prom this season. 

“We know that prom can be a very costly event, and oftentimes the dresses are only worn for very few hours – sometimes only for photos; this event allows students to get a dress free of charge,” program director Erica Parrago said. “I want [the girls] to feel empowered, I want them to know that they’re gonna walk into prom looking just as good as every other girl there. I want them to have that confidence they need to have a good night.”

Women Giving Back is a non-profit organization based in Sterling that supports women and children in crisis situations. Since opening in 2007, the organization has distributed three million articles of clothing, helping women rebuild their lives and support their families. The organization runs on grants from the local government, fundraising efforts, support from congress constituents, and clothes from their large donor base.  

Women Giving Back’s annual prom boutique tackles another issue: making prom a possibility for girls that can’t afford the demanding prices – often ranging from 100 to 500 dollars – for dresses and shoes. Through outreach at schools in the DMV area – including Rock Ridge – the organization promotes the event and the need for dress donations. There are no eligibility requirements for this event, making the process of attending seamless and comfortable for shoppers. 

 Parrago coordinates the event by collecting donations and volunteers and organizing the boutique setup. “It’s a big operation to make sure that every girl walks out happy and confident in themselves,” Parrago said. “We have a pretty full staff. We have a donation team that reaches out to the general community for donations. Me and a team of ten do outreach [to schools and the communities] and help the girls in the boutique.”

The organization prioritizes making girls feel comfortable during their shopping experience by having no eligibility requirements to attend the event, and only allowing adult female volunteers to help customers find a dress. “We have teenage volunteers at Women Giving Back but they don’t work at the boutique in case someone from their school sees them shopping and they feel ashamed,” Parrago said.

Women Giving Back volunteer Heidi Kibirsky enjoys helping girls find their dream dress in the prom boutique. “I love that they open it up to the whole community,” Kibirsky said. “It’s open to everybody because proms are getting expensive. The fact that we can help offset some of those costs so that everyday gets to go, to me is very important. Everybody finds something and if they didn’t find something last week, they come this week because dresses are always being donated.”

At Rock Ridge, prom tickets range from 65 to 75 dollars, increasing every week by 5 dollars, until prom on May 17. The Student Council Association (SCA) aims for every student to attend the event, by accommodating to student’s needs regarding ticket prices. “We realize that prom is becoming less of a popular event and a big part of that is the price,” junior Class Communication Officer Kenidy Nguyen said. “We really just want people to show up and think of high school prom as a moment to remember. When we organize our prices, we can have accommodations with students who really want to go to prom, but aren’t able to meet [the ticket prices].”

Students can actually qualify for a free prom ticket at Rock Ridge if they’re enduring financial hardship.

The prom boutique, foundationally, aims to build a sense of community, connection, and confidence.. “You get to come and watch all these girls try on the dresses and get excited and I joke around and say ‘Are we saying yes to the dress?’ just like the TV show; [the girls] are just so happy,” Kibirsky said. “It’s nice when they do come back and they’re like ‘Oh, here’s my dress from last year!’ and they show us the pictures because we have developed that relationship in that half hour while they’re trying on the dresses.”

To volunteer or seek support from the organization, reach out to Women Giving Back.