A mother in the western province of Alberta has been collecting prom dresses for girls who can’t afford to buy one of their own, reports CBC. Prom is a big deal for teenagers graduating from high school in June, and traditionally girls buy a long, formal gown to wear and boys rent tuxedos. The problem is, these gowns generally cost $200 and up.
Jobs lost across Alberta
Many Alberta families are hurting financially because the drastic drop in oil prices has resulted in many layoffs in the province’s oil and gas sector, and that has caused job losses in other sectors as well.
Angela Pauls is a mother of three who told CBC the economic downturn has hit her hometown of Millet hard. Many people have lost their jobs and she overheard girls saying they would not attend their proms because they had nothing to wear.
Rentals are a fraction of the price
So, she started collecting donated gowns last month and has filled all of her closets with them. She will rent the dresses out for $50 to $60 and that’s only to cover the cost of dry cleaning them.
Pauls says she will keep all the dresses and rent them to graduates next year. She also plans to expand the scheme to include suits for the boys.
You could say “first world problems,” but try telling that to teenage girls.
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