Fashion Blogs

High school dances are a chance for girls to feel like a princess and with homecoming season just a few weeks away many are still looking for the perfect dress, shoes, and jewelry.

One church in the region is helping girls who can't afford to go to a high end shop for a dress. Now, they are getting their chance to find their fairytale look, all free of charge.

Joyce Blanton, who works at Rose Tree Boutique came up with the when the dress shop was planning to get rid of some dresses.

Blanton says she contacted area school resource centers to see if there were any students who needed dresses for dances. Eight years later, the giveaway has grown in popularity and now has its own venue, Vineyard Church of God in Catlettsburg, Kentucky.

“The girls get to come in and shop just at like any other store. Pick out their dresses, and try them on. After they choose their dress they get to pick shoes and jewelry,” Blanton says.

When the giveaway first started they only had about 30-50 dresses, at Saturday’s giveaway they had more than 2,000.

Robbie Locklear and her two daughters stopped by to look for dresses and she say it’s a big relief knowing that her girls will have dresses and accessories for the dance.

“We got two girls that's going to homecoming and it's nice when people don't have a lot of money to spend on things to be able to come get it.”

Blanton says it's heartwarming for her to see the girls looking through the dresses, and finding something for them and leaving with a smile on their face knowing that they found "the one."

“When we were young, we were poor,” says Blanton. “We didn't have much. We had everything we needed but we didn't get to go to dances. There were 11 children so I know how they feel, and it just makes me happy to be able to help them.”