The Omaha Public School District (OPS) and Max I Walker are coming together to provide and accept prom dress donations for students across the Omaha metro. The “Say Yes to the Prom Dress” donation drive is taking place at the Omaha Teacher Administration Center (TAC) from now until April 9.
According to the OPS Supervisor of External Relations, Bridget Blevins, OPS hopes to collect around 2,021 gently used or brand-new prom dresses that are diverse in style and size. The donation drop-off is located inside the lobby of the TAC building between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For those wanting a donation receipt, OPS Financials will provide them.
Students will be invited by the district and brought to the TAC boardroom on April 17 to pick a dress among the anticipated 2,021 dresses donated. Students are required to pre-register for this event. OPS is dedicated to ensuring the event follows local health and safety guidelines.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students had to miss traditional prom festivities last prom season. This year, many people still find themselves struggling financially and even unemployed. With prom dress prices rising to sometimes hundreds of dollars, OPS wanted to ease the stress so many young teens and families face when hoping to find the perfect prom dress.
OPS official Toba Cohen hopes to see more community engagement to ensure OPS meets their goal.
“Unfortunately, some families experienced pretty significant you know, economic issues, and Dr. Logan decided to reach out to the community to say, you know the prom is such a quintessential moment for kids, and how about we figure out the number of students who need dressed,” Cohen said.
