Making sure every teen can be decked out for their special night
By Gabriella Bancheri
Project Prom, set for March 9-11 at Kensington Furniture in Northfield, has been an iconic South Jersey event since founder Rene Kane came up with the idea 10 years ago.
Kane was inspired to create Project Prom as a way to put her daughters’ expensive, no-longer needed prom dresses to good use by offering them to young women who couldn’t afford a dress otherwise. Instead of hanging in a closet collecting dust, Kane realized that the beautiful dresses her daughters, and hundreds of other young women, wore to prom could give that many underprivileged teenagers the opportunity to have their own beautiful prom experiences.
Since then, Project Prom has been able to help thousands of young women from the Atlantic County area look their best on prom night for free thanks to community support and dress donations.
This year, the Eastern Region Team at IGT (International Gaming Technology) wanted to be a part of the initiative. Having reached out to the Boys and Girls Club, which recently announced that it was partnering with Project Prom, IGT proposed a donation of gift cards to places like nail salons, hair salons, shoe stores and accessory stores to help with additional costs associated with attending prom.
It was truly a pleasure to speak with the teams from IGT and the Boys and Girls Club of AC and to be there when IGT presented the organization with 10 $50 gift cards, which members of the Boys and Girls Club will gift to high school students most in need of financial assistance.
While this is IGT’s first year partnering with the Boys and Girls Club and Project Prom, the company has previously worked with the organization on other initiatives. There was even talk of a potential career and mentoring day which IGT would like to offer Boys and Girls Club members.
Other local initiatives and organizations IGT has supported include Reed’s Farm in Egg Harbor Township, and the Funny Farm Animal Sanctuary in Mays Landing, both of which they will continue to support this year with volunteering assistance and two $1,000 grants.
Readers, keep your eyes peeled, too, because IGT will be collecting books in September, which will be donated to various organizations in Atlantic County that might be in need.
IGT’s support of these initiatives is largely encouraged and supported by Eastern Region Vice President Tim Shortall, who has been involved with community events for decades. As a unit, Shortall’s team has been directly involved in these kinds of initiatives for almost 20 years.
Alice Santiago, administrative assistant at IGT, is particularly enthusiastic about the company’s community outreach and partnerships. Both Santiago and Shortall are South Jersey residents themselves, and clearly have strong interests in being a part of hands-on community engagement.
As for the Boys and Girls Club, it’s no question that the team works every day to secure resources for activities such as Project Prom, career days, and the upcoming Let’s Get Cookin’ and June Madness events.
As for Project Prom donations, dresses in sizes 16-24 are also still being accepted and can be brought to the following locations: Berkshire Hathaway, 9218 Ventnor Ave., Margate; JCC Margate, 501 N. Jerome Ave, Margate; and Esthetica, 1205 Tilton Road, Northfield.
Monetary donations to the Boys and Girls Club can be made by visiting www.acbgc.org/donate or by check, if you’d like to make a prom-related donation specifically. You can also contact Project Prom directly via their website, www.projectpromac.com.
If financial and dress donations aren’t an option for you and you want to lend a helping hand, the event is in need of volunteers. Just email Community Liaison Coordinator Meredith Godfrey at mgodfrey@acbgc.org
Gabriella is a Ventnor City resident and graduate of the University of London with an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing. Her writing is featured in a variety of digital publications ranging from food and beverage to literature to ecotourism.
