TAMPA, Fla. — It’s homecoming time for local high school students.
For many of them, this means a big dance with their classmates where they get dressed up; however, this can also get expensive.
Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Lauren St. Germain met with the founder of a local nonprofit working to make sure students feel confident and beautiful at the dance, no matter their financial situation.
For Lacey Lakes, her nonprofit Yes Queen Dress Drive, grew out of what she heard in her previous job.
“I used to work with teenagers and it was always a big conversation around dance season. They are excited for prom, excited for homecoming and I was just thinking of the families who might not be able to afford a new dress or shoes and I wanted to make sure they have that dignified experience and those memories related to their high school dances,” said Lakes.
The nonprofit sets up a boutique at a high school twice a year, during homecoming and prom, to offer students free dresses and accessories.
“It is such a special morning. There’s a lot of smiles, laughs, maybe even some tears and we just have the best time,” said Lakes.
She says the spots filled up really quickly this year, but they do have a waitlist and can offer people information about similar organizations.
“This is definitely a growing need in the community. We’ve seen every event has a larger registration count. The spots are going quicker. We are excited to continue to serve Tampa Bay as we host these events,” said Lakes.
A greater need means the nonprofit will always take more donations.
“All of them are donated from the community because like we were saying a lot of them just sit in the back of our closets,’ said Lakes.
She explains that they have nearly 900 dresses in storage for this year’s homecoming event.
Right now, Lakes says could really use shoes and they take dresses in every size and style. The nonprofit has donation bins in Seminole Heights, New Tampa, and Land O’ Lakes.
“One of the things that I was really passionate about when we started was, I want a student to be able to find a dress that they don’t just fit it, but a dress that they love, that’s their style, and that they feel confident in,” said Lakes.
“It shows that these students are loved, and they are valued and whatever their current financial circumstance is – it does not dictate who they are and everyone deserves to feel like a queen, so we are happy to provide that experience for them,” said Lakes.
The Yes Queen Dress Drive is Saturday, 9/20, at Wharton High School. All of the available slots are currently full; however, they do have a waitlist.
For more information about the event, the waitlist, and the location of the donation bins, check out the nonprofit’s social media pages here.
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