For the past 28 years, Hillsborough High School’s “Project Graduation Project” has been given students the opportunity to enjoy their post commencement festivities and celebration safely.
Started by the Youth Services of Hillsborough Township, the project is a drug and alcohol free event on graduation night and is free for all graduates. The money for the event is raised through donations and fund raising events.
One of the events is a prom dress sale held at the high school. The event welcomes high school females in the area to try on dresses. Prices range from $25-50, offering a variety of long and short dresses in all different sizes and styles.
This year’s dress sale is on Jan. 26 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
“We need to raise between $35,000 to $40,000, which includes the transportation [costs], paying for the venue, food, and we give out gift cards, and provide additional entertainment,” said Project Graduation Co-Chairperson, Robin Kimmelman. “So, the dress sale is one of our fundraisers. We take donations of gently used prom dresses as well as any other dresses and sell them at the high school.”
Kimmelman noted that the dress sale not only helps raise funds for the high school event, but helps high school students in the area as well in need of a dress, yet come at an expensive cost.
“It’s a good fundraising event for us because not only does it benefit ‘Project Graduation’ as far as raising money, it also benefits students who may not be able to afford or spend $200 to $400 on a prom dress,” Kimmelman said. “They can get a great prom dress at a reduced price.
“Most of [the students] are thrilled about getting an expensive dress that has only been once for $40. Especially for girls that may go to more than one prom. They go to a prom here, maybe one at a different high school or maybe they’re going to a junior and senior prom and don’t want to wear the same dress, so it gets expensive,” she added.
Alongside the dress sale, Kimmelman said one of the biggest fundraisers associated with “Project Graduation” is the annual fashion show on March 30 in the auditorium of the Hillsborough High School where senior girls and boys model their prom dresses and tuxedos.
Kimmelman said that they are still open to receiving dress donations for the sale event this month or at any time afterward during the year to save for next year’s event.