By Stephanie Vaccaro, Staff Writer
When spring comes, high school girls know the prom is coming too. And for girls, prom is all about the dress.
But for some, purchasing that dress never becomes more than a dream.
Three area students, Margaret Haughton, Janie Smukler and Mason O’Brien, are hoping to make a that dream come true for 100 girls with Prom Dreams.
”Twenty years ago my parents read an article in The Wall Street Journal about a single mother who was struggling to support three daughters,” said Margaret, a Princeton High School student. “The oldest daughter was a senior in high school and by the time prom rolled around, she didn’t even consider asking her mom for a dress because she had never owned a dress in her life. So my dad decided to call the director of social services for Whitley County (Kentucky), where she lived in Kentucky, and he asked if there was any way he could help. The director said that a lot of help had poured in as a result of the article.”
”So, my dad asked if there were other girls in the same predicament, and the director said that the majority of high school girls weren’t able to purchase their own dress,” said Margaret. “So, my mom and my dad sent the article to as many people as they could and dresses poured in. They sent them all to Whitley County.”
Years later, two of their older daughters Carter and Liz Haughton, carried on this service from 2006 to 2008.
”The three years that my sisters did it, they collected over 500 dresses,” said Margaret.
They took a trip to Whitley County and they also went to McDowell County, West Virginia, sending dresses to eight high schools in all.
”We’re all juniors,” said Margaret. “We wanted to pick up where they left off and who better to do it with than my two best friends?”
In honor of Margaret’s great aunt, a native of Wise County, Va., who is turning 100 this year, the girls have decided to donate the dresses to six high schools in the area. They will be driving the dresses down April 23.
”Our goal is to collect over 100 dresses,” said Mason. “I actually told people today in my classes and one girl in my math class started crying. The thought of people not having the money to buy your prom dress I mean prom is like the epitome of high school so not being able to go because you don’t have a dress is really sad.”
”People get really into it,” said Margaret. “The girls get really excited to bring in their old dresses to give to people. It seems like something so simple. Living in Princeton, everyone has dresses. It’s hard to fathom a girl who has never owned a dress in her life.”
”I put up flyers and I’ve had a lot of girls come up to me asking what they could do, and if they could give money and a dress,” said Janie, a student at Princeton Day School.
”At our school, I feel like more people are giving dresses because we have all these dances throughout the year,” said Mason, a student at Princeton High School. “And it’s such an easy thing, just to give a dress.”
”People just wear their prom dress once and then throw it in the back of the closet and never wear it again, so it’s perfect opportunity to get rid of that and do a good cause at the same time,” said Margaret.
”I know when my sisters went and saw the girls trying on dresses and were crying because they never saw themselves look so pretty,” said Margaret. “A dress can give you all this confidence, and they’ve never really felt that before.”
To date, they’ve collected about 50 dresses.
”From the past, we have $1,000 saved up too,” said Margaret of the money that will be used exclusively to purchase additional dresses.
”We’re excited to go down and see the reaction,” said Margaret. “Girls hear about this and they don’t realize that we have so many options to choose from.”
”There have always been so many dresses that we send them to New Jersey schools as well,” said Margaret.
Dresses that are not selected by the girls in Virginia will be sent to schools in Camden.
”We’ll probably continue this next year,” said Mason.
Craft Cleaners is dry cleaning all the donated dresses for free.
”They’ve been doing it every year we’ve done this,” said Margaret.
Anyone interested in helping can donate used dresses; purchase new ones, preferably plus sizes 18 to 29; or donate money and dresses will be purchased before their trip. Contact the girls at [email protected].

