Program provides prom dresses and lessons in safe dating

JOLIET, Ill. - A Joliet Catholic program that provides free prom dresses for high school girls not only focuses on clothes and accessories, but also puts a major emphasis on dating safety.

Samantha Mosher, prevention educator for the Sexual Assault Service Center of Guardian Angel Community Services, said conversations with high school students about prom expenses gave her the idea of combining a dating safety course with free prom attire. In April, she offered students four chances to take the two-hour course. About 40 high school girls completed the course and received a free dress, shoes, jewelry and other accessories collected in a drive Mosher organized for the first time this year. Guardian Angel Community Services in Joliet is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. "I want to give them steps they can take to keep themselves safe, things they can do to reduce their vulnerability," Mosher told the Catholic Explorer, the official publication of the Diocese of Joliet. She said she reminds girls that just because someone looks nice does not mean they are nice and she also warns them about some of the things that can happen during prom dates, such as a narcotic slipped into a drink or a date who becomes abusive. Before the April 20 class, one attendee said the endeavor was definitely worth her time and effort. "We're all a little tight on cash. And I think it is kind of good ... with the whole prom thing, to give the dating course as well," said Nila Alksnis, a sophomore at Joliet Central High School. Mosher opened the session by telling the girls that she has talked to many people who have been in abusive relationships since they were teenagers. She warned the girls about starting a "pattern that you continue for the rest of your life" and said it becomes "very hard to break the older you get." One mother who attended the session with her daughter said she was impressed with the presentation particularly since she had been in an abusive relationship and wanted to be able to prepare her teenage daughter for dangers in the dating world. Afterward, the girls could sift through more than 340 dresses and hundreds of accessories donated by individuals, resale shops and cosmetic companies. "This is a win-win situation for us," said Dominican Sister Mary Carr, pastoral associate at St. Bernard Parish in Homer Glen. She said parishioners donated about 125 dresses to the cause and were glad to empty their closets of gently-used prom and bridesmaid dresses. For three weekends, members of the 1,800-family parish dropped off their gowns at the parish. "It was just unreal," said Sister Carr, who noted that a majority of the gowns were still in dry cleaning bags. Another dress giveaway program is the Glass Slipper Project in Chicago; its address online is: www.glassslipperproject.org. It's now in its eighth year of providing free prom dresses. According to board member Margaret Bain, three women started the project after complaining about having too little closet space for the many bridesmaid dresses they would never wear again. Since contacting public schools in Chicago, the project has helped more than 7,600 girls attend their prom in style. The nonprofit organization creates a boutique atmosphere where girls can select a gown with a volunteer personal shopper. Any Illinois high school junior or senior who can present a school identification card is eligible to sift through the thousands of dresses and accessories. "We get lots of hugs," Bain said. "Definitely, we like to think we're making dreams come true."

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