Number of Participants: 1
Hours Donated: 10
Value of Time Served: $85
Event Type: Children & Youth
Activity: Girls Gymnastics
Date: March 23, 2022
Location:
North Attleboro High School
Wilson West Whitty Way, North Attleborough
MA
About:
Hannah Schmidt knows that she’s lucky.
A few months ago, Schmidt, 17, bought her gown for North Attleboro High School’s junior prom. It wasn’t inexpensive, but, she says, her mother and father picked up the tab.
“It’s blue and sparkly and has lots of sequins,” she says.
“I didn’t have to look at the price tag,” says Schmidt, whose parents both work in the business world. But, she said, she realized not everyone can afford the $500 to $600 a new dress can run.
So she’s started a program to provide gowns for anyone who wants one. The shop, located at the high school, is called Sparkle.
While Schmidt is busy with her own extracurricular activities, including being captain of the school’s gymnastic team and working with the Best Pals program that pairs special needs and mainstream students, she put out the word in the school’s morning announcements, on social media programs — with her mother’s help — and old-fashioned paper flyers. She’s collected some 80 dresses in sizes from 0 to 20.
Donations came from former students as well as “teachers and random people who I don’t even know who live in the community.” And, since accessories are important, “people donated shoes and the school nurse donated unused makeup.” Anyone who wants to can drop off donations between 6:55 a.m and 7:15 a.m. at the school resource officer’s office.
The shop’s first open house was Saturday at the high school but, Schmidt says, “I’ve already had dresses go home with people.”
People who interested can make an appointment with Schmidt at heschmidt@naschools.net to pick out a dress after school or on weekends leading up to this year’s proms which will be May 15 for seniors and May 20 for juniors. There will be more open house dates to come.
“It’s something I’d like to see grow over time,” Schmidt says.
