Kappa Alpha Theta members collect prom dresses

Kappa Alpha Theta members collect prom dresses for Prince George's County teens

Three women sorted through a flurry of colors, sparkles, lace and florals in the basement of this university’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house, trying to find the perfect prom dresses to donate to Prince George’s County teen girls in foster care.

About eight girls came to a boutique-like setup Wednesday afternoon to pick out a dress they could wear to their prom or other occasions, such a military ball or quinceañera, said Ann Marie Foley Binsner, the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates/Prince George’s County.

The Prince George’s County Department of Social Services and CASA hosted the event, which the sorority supported with donations.

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"Being in the foster care system already makes them different," Binsner said, "so allowing them to have the opportunity to participate in prom and in other activities … is going to help them to fully participate and not further make them outside of what is the normal teenage experience."

The sorority began collecting prom dresses in January, hoping members could bring their donations back from break, and continued to reach out to family and friends until mid-March. They collected almost 200 dresses, many of which will be saved for future donations.

"Everybody had tons of dresses that were just sitting in their closet that they weren’t using," said Bailey Hayek, the sorority’s philanthropy director, "so people were really excited to donate."

They received shipments of huge boxes full of dresses from members’ hometowns — as far away as Long Island and Rhode Island — as well as a 40-dress donation from a local boutique, Kelsey’s Kloset, Hayek said.

The social services department hosted a similar event last year, which some of their student interns organized, said Dee Dee Bass Wilbon, the department’s internal and external affairs liaison. But this is the department’s first year working with CASA and Kappa Alpha Theta.

With many options for dresses, they wanted to create a fun shopping experience for the girls — without the stress of prices, said Hayek, a junior journalism major.

Not being able to afford the dress shouldn’t be a reason to not attend a dance, said Emily Evangelista, the sorority’s chief marketing officer.

"I remember going shopping for my dress was one of my favorite parts, with my friends," she said.

Children in foster care have experienced a trauma, Binsner said, and abuse and neglect can be difficult to deal with — which is why her organization works to provide resources and services to help children overcome such challenges.

"We believe children come first, and we want to make sure each child feels like their counterpoints, despite being in foster care," Wilbon said.

CASA is Kappa Alpha Theta’s national philanthropy, and having a local chapter has created a great partnership, Binsner said.

"There’s oftentimes really nothing normal about the life of a young person in foster care," she said. "So giving them the opportunity to be that normal teenager gives them a day or the maybe the week’s worth of preparation that goes into prom, just to feel really special and really good about themselves, and not the kid who can’t go because nobody can or will buy them a dress."

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