Donated prom dresses raise money for homeless shelter

Hundreds of high school girls shopped for prom dresses Sunday and helped out a local youth homeless shelter at the same time.

Nearly 800 prom dresses were sold for just $10 each. The dresses were donated by people in the community.

“There are a lot of pretty dresses and I get to try them on and it makes me happy,” Mikayla Brewer said. She’s a junior at Canon City High School.”You want to look pretty, but you also want to make a statement,” she said.

Sometimes finding the right dress isn’t easy.

“There’s so many choices,”Sahara Snead said. She’s a junior at Las Animas High School. “You just look around for that special, unique one that you want to buy.”

Proceeds form the discounted dresses will help fund programs at Colorado Urban Peak, a local youth homeless shelter.

“We serve youth between the ages of 15 and 20 at our shelter,” Urban Peak development officerAndrea Thomson said. “In the winter months, our shelter is normally full. The money will help pay for a lot of services.”

The donated dresses are giving teens the chance to shop frugally.

“Paying $10 is nice, very nice,” Brewer said. “It’s better than the $200-plus that you’ll pay for any other dress.”

The gowns will help make prom dreams come true and the proceeds will benefit kids in the community.

“It’s really nice to know that you’re getting what you want and you’re also donating to a good cause,” Snead said.