Prom Attire Gets Second Chance at Sister's Dress Sale

Give a gently used prom dress a second chance by donating to the fourth annual My Sister’s Dress Sale.

This event held at the McHenry County College, March 12, makes going to the prom affordable for local high school students.

The idea for My Sister’ Dress Sale came from Emily Smith, of Lake in the Hills, and her sister-in-law, Whitney Ruth, of Huntley.

“We were talking about Cinderella’s Closet (a prom recycling project) and that nothing happened like that out here. We were sure a lot of girls could benefit and at the time we both had a lot of prom dresses we wanted to get rid of,” Smith said.

Prom dresses at the sale are $20 and accessories cost $5 each.

Smith said shoppers have told her dresses typically cost between $400 and $500.

“We’ve had a lot of people who tried on a dress for $400 (before the sale) and found it at the sale for $20,” she said.

The sale collects about 500 dresses and attracts about 300 shoppers. The remaining dresses are donated to thrift shops.  The proceeds from the program go to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of McHenry County, a mentoring program. In previous years, the sale raised about $3,000 for the program. The goal this year is $5,000.

 There are plenty of dresses in a wide range of sizes, yet the sale does start with a mad rush.

“They are coming earlier and earlier; last year there was a huge, long line at 8 a.m. and we’re not open until10 a.m. It’s a mad house in the morning,” Smith said.

“With 500 dresses, there are so many range of sizes. The mad rush in the morning is not necessary.  Everyone has different tastes and different sizes,” she said.

Donations are being accepted until Friday March 11 at the following locations:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, 4318-B Crystal Lake Road, McHenry, IL 60050

• McHenry County College, 8900 US Highway 14, Room A250, Crystal Lake, IL 60012

• American Community Bank & Trust Locations:
• Crystal Lake - 381 South Main Street
• Huntley - 10101 North Route 47
• McHenry - 1500 South Route 31
• Woodstock - 1290 Lake Avenue

• High Schools:
• Dundee Crown
• Hampshire
• Huntley
• Marian Central
• McHenry East
• McHenry West
• Prairie Ridge

The sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 12, at the McHenry County College Gymnasium.