No Cinderellas show up to claim prom gowns

BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

Long Branch high school seniors Ann Goncalves (above) and Ana Alvarez (left) look at a dresses at a prom dress sale hosted by the Monmouth University Public Relations Student Society of America on April 26.Long Branch high school seniors Ann Goncalves (above) and Ana Alvarez (left) look at a dresses at a prom dress sale hosted by the Monmouth University Public Relations Student Society of America on April 26. LONG BRANCH — You can lead Cinderella to the closet but you cannot, apparently, get her to buy a prom gown.

That’s what members of Monmouth University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) found out last week when they hosted a prom dress sale at Long Branch High School last week.

The PRSSA collected over 100 used prom dresses from Monmouth University students, family and friends of students and faculty members. The dresses were cleaned and put on sale for students attending the high school prom, according to Dana Benedetti, president of PRSSA.

The evening dresses ranged in price from $25 to $75 and were on sale in the auditorium at the high school on April 26 after school, according to Benedetti, who was disappointed in the lack of turnout.

“Unfortunately no dresses were sold,” she said.

“When the bell rang on Wednesday to dismiss students, PRSSA awaited eagerly for Long Branch high school students to file into the auditorium,” Benedetti said. “However, this did not happen. I really don’t know why these students didn’t want to buy any dresses. It could have been due to the fact many students are bused or get rides from friends and couldn’t stay after school.”

Benedetti said she was shocked by the turnout, so she arranged to leave the dresses with a teacher at the high school for a couple of days, in the hope that some still might sell.

“The purpose of this project was to do something good for the local community,” Benedetti said. “Our goal was to raise over $3,000 from the sale.”

All proceeds from the sale would benefit the Long Branch senior class and could go toward their prom or the cost of graduation, according to Benedetti.