STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (WUSA9) — Prom is a day so many young girls look forward to in high school. However, the cost of that special night can quickly add up.
Jessica Hall is an 8th grade teacher at A.G. Wright Middle School. She and her students are on a mission to make prom affordable for everyone who wants to go. Hall saw all of the dresses in her closet and realized they were going to waste.
"As a teacher I see how many students are really in need in our area and I can see the financial strain this puts on parents. I really just wanted to drive that price down and make it affordable for everyone," said Hall.
Hall put out a call on social media asking for other dress donations and hundreds came pouring in.
The dresses came from the community and H & G Formal donated more than 100 dresses to the cause as well. The dresses come in sizes from zero to 4X.
This Saturday, girls from all over Stafford County will be able to rent dresses for prom. For $30, they can check out a dress, rock it to prom, and later return it. Upon returning their dress, they will get $15 back. The rest of the money will go toward cleaning the dresses so they can be used again in the future.
The students have spent countless hours going through and logging dress donations, getting them ready for Saturday's event.
For Hall and other teachers who are also helping out, they say it's about much more than cutting down the price.
"To have this new self awareness of how beautiful they really are, it's just something that we want for every girl," said Sarah Skinner, a 6th grade teacher.
Saturday's event is at A.G. Wright Middle School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
