Centre County event aims to make prom accessible for all. What to know and how to donate

Racks and racks of prom dresses might not be what you’d expect in a school basement but that’s the reality at the Fairmount Building.

The downtown State College building, which previously housed the State College Area School District’s old Delta Program, is the host of this year’s Prom Attire Event, providing gently used dresses, shoes and accessories for students to wear at no cost.

The event is held from March 17-19, with clothing donations being accepted now. Students are welcome to come and try on dresses from 4-7 p.m. March 17 and 18, and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 19.

Students from schools across Centre County are invited, including charter schools and private schools.

This is the first time the event is back in full force after having appointments only last year and canceling the event in 2020 due to COVID.

“Everyone wants that experience of going to the prom and it should be affordable and they should be able to wear something that makes them feel good,” said organizer Deborah Steinburg, a teacher at the Delta Program.

The event started in 2006 but Steinburg took over in 2014 from Volunteers in Public Schools. Kate Branford, an administrative support assistant for Penn State Residence Life, became an organizer three years ago to help Steinburg.

“I’d say over 1,000 students overall have gotten dresses,” Steinburg said. “Anywhere from 50 to 150 dresses every year.”

Although located in the basement of the Fairmount Building, organizers work to decorate and “jazz up” the space.

Steinburg and Branford give students the full shopping experience, with dressing rooms built of PVC pipe and hot pink curtains and rows of shoes and accessories. They even wrap the dresses in plastic garment bags to keep them clean and safe until the big day.

“It’s mostly just recycling, reusing and getting people to the prom in an affordable way,” Steinburg said.

The event has also used monetary donations to buy prom tickets in the past if a student was unable.

Dresses are being collected at the State College Area High School counseling office, Delta Program main office and Balfurd Dry Cleaners’ North or South Atherton Street location. Steinburg just asks that the dresses be in good shape and on-trend.

The event takes dresses of all sizes and a tailor will be at the event to make minor alterations. Balfurd Dry Cleaners also helps to clean any dresses if necessary.

Although the event usually has plenty of dresses and accessories, suits or tuxedo donations are much harder to come by.

“Sometimes we see people want to give a monetary donation and that goes toward tuxedo rentals for students who may be helped by that,” Steinburg said.

If a student can’t make it to the event, they’re welcome to message through the Facebook page and set up an appointment to come in.

Students have also gotten involved in the past to help out their classmates. Student organizations have run donation drives for the dresses and Steinburg’s students from the Delta Program help set up the space.

“They help take the dresses back and forth and try to keep it organized on the days of the event,” Steinburg said.

The three-day event isn’t the only way students can get a dress. Last year Branford drove a carload of dresses out to Philipsburg to help a woman and her foster daughters who couldn’t make it to the event.

“They were so grateful and thankful and that’s exactly why we do it, just to know you’re making prom accessible,” Branford said.