After weeks of steady preparation, the Riley Children's Dress Drive came to a close on Saturday, February 9th. Prior to the beginning of the event, Macy, Rylie, and I spent Friday evening moving racks of dresses to the hallway. Several racks were extremely heavy; therefore, we enlisted the help of a number of football athletes. Once the racks were positioned in the hallway, Macy, Rylie, and I spent nearly an hour tidying up the dresses. This included straightening racks and ensuring the hangers faced the same direction. Additionally, Rylie, Macy, and I took pictures in several gowns in order to raise awareness for the event.
Macy, Rylie, and I arrived at New Palestine Intermediate around 7:30 a.m. on the day of the event. Young women in search of prom dresses had already started to line the sidewalk outside NPI. Once inside, we arranged the hospitality room as the volunteers steadily arrived. The hospitality room served as a room for volunteers to rest, reenergize, and chat. After the volunteers were assembled, Paul Romoser, a youth pastor at Brookville Road Community Church, led the group in prayer. 9 a.m. rolled around, and shoppers rushed towards the hallway of formal gowns. Since Macy, Rylie, and I had organized the event, rather than working as personal shoppers, our role was to run dresses to and from the racks. Likewise, I spent a considerable amount of time in the wedding dress room. My mom was the volunteer in charge of the bridal gowns, and she was beyond excited to help the brides find the dress. My favorite memory of the event was watching a young bride find her dream dress as her mother smiled proudly, tears filling her eyes. As time passed, the flow of shoppers slowed until the hallway was completely empty. From that point forward, our time was spent moving dress racks back into the storage room. We removed the dresses from the shaky, wooden racks, and several men used tools to disassemble the wood pieces. Mrs. Pratt will order newer, sturdier racks to replace the makeshift racks for next year's event. Overall, the Riley Children's Formal Dress Drive collected nearly $6,000. The money will be divided between Riley Children's Hospital, New Palestine Intermediate, New Palestine Junior High, and New Palestine High School. My involvement with this event has been life-changing, and I will never forget the smiles and laughs shared at the Riley Children's Formal Dress Drive.
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Rylie, Macy, and I have successfully organized the majority of the formal gowns. The prom dresses are divided based on size, color, and style. However, Mrs. Pratt has yet to receive an order of roughly 200 wooden hangers. As soon as the hangers arrive, we will need to work diligently to switch flimsy, plastic hangers for a more durable alternative. We have also placed several fliers around the halls of New Palestine High School in order to attract young women in search of prom dresses. Similarly, Rylie, Macy, and I hope to position fliers in local businesses and neighboring high schools to alert the community about the upcoming event. We have contacted Mrs. Clayton, the head of New Palestine's National Honor Society; therefore, we believe there is a sufficient amount of female volunteers to assist customers throughout the event. Likewise, a number of young men are interested in helping Macy, Rylie, and I move the heavy racks of dresses the night prior. For now, we wait - anticipating the arrival of the wooden hangers. As soon as the boxes turn up, Rylie, Macy, and I will be working against the clock to tie up the loose ends and assemble the missing pieces. Ultimately, we hope to make this annual dress event the best yet.
After collecting the donated dresses from the Bridal Superstore, Macy, Rylie, and I moved the boxes to the storage room located on the upper level of New Palestine High School. The boxes were extremely heavy; therefore, a few young men carried the boxes to my car. We transported the dresses to the intermediate school and continued to organize the plethora of formal dresses. As Rylie, Macy, and I were organizing the gowns, Mrs. Hurst visited us and provided input on the donation fliers. She requested that we add several factors such as the address of the intermediate school, information about the silent auction, and the Riley Children's Foundation logo. Macy and I also created size sheets that will indicate the sizes of dresses on each rack. Additionally, Macy received an email from Sophia's Prom, and the boutique was interested in donating several dresses and a multitude of discount cards. The discount cards will be given to girls that can't find dresses at the event; therefore, they have the opportunity to find a gown at Sophia's for a reduced price. Rylie and Macy made a trip to Sophia's and picked up the donated dresses and cards. We are planning to deliver the dresses to the intermediate school on January 16. Until the day of the event on February 9th, Rylie, Macy, and I will be organizing and unboxing dresses. The dresses must be organized by size, style, and color; therefore, we have our work cut out for us.
After the completion of Ronald McDonald's Snuggles and Snacks, I was in search of a new opportunity to serve the community. Mr. Large had previously mentioned the New Palestine Dress Drive. I spoke with a few of my peers, and we made the decision to take on the responsibility of organizing the New Palestine Dress Drive. The NPDD will take place in February; however, although February is a few months away, we have a lot of work to do. Macy, Rylie, and I began by emailing Mrs. Pratt, the treasurer at New Palestine Junior High. Mrs. Pratt has worked with the New Palestine Dress Drive for many years; therefore, she has a good understanding of what must be completed in order for the event to run smoothly. After our initial meeting at the junior high, she gave us the task of creating a donation flier and an announcement poster. Likewise, Mrs. Pratt wanted us to write a thank you note for the boutiques that choose to donate prom/bridal gowns. We returned to class, and Rylie began designing posters on Adobe Photoshop. At the same time, Macy and I formatted an email to send to potential boutiques. One boutique responded to our donation inquiry, and Rylie, Macy, and I are planning to pick up the dresses after school on December 14th. Having completed Mrs. Pratt's instructions, we returned to the junior high and worked with several women to improve the initial design. We also traveled to New Palestine Intermediate School and formulated a plan to organize the menagerie of prom and bridal dresses. Mrs. Pratt and her coworker left the intermediate school, and Rylie, Macy, and I began the long process of organizing the dresses into racks with the corresponding size. Once the sizes are arranged, we will work to assemble similar colors; therefore, the customers will be able to find a certain dress with ease. Rylie, Macy, and I are extremely excited to work with Mrs. Pratt and other volunteers. We can't wait to help hundreds of young women find the dress of their dreams.
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Lydia Jones |