Whether she's looking for a purple one with beading, a baby blue hue, pink or red, The Butterfly Project has a free prom dress for every girl.
At a time when many people are feeling the effects of the economic downturn, spending hundreds of dollars on a dress may not be feasible for parents. But when the perfect gown seems priceless to a young woman, a newly formed nonprofit organization is here to help.
The Butterfly is emerging slowly in Volusia County, with two dress giveaways this prom season. But Sadie Anthony, president and founder, is hoping to get the word out that there are plenty of free gowns available in all sizes for homecomings and other formal school and college events.
All you have to do is ask.
So far the local organization has gathered almost 100 dresses, new and gently used, which were donated by moms and young women throughout the area.
Without a set venue yet Anthony, a Lake Helen resident, has a traveling boutique. Girls may call her to set up a meeting location or come to her house to find a dress.
Even in The Butterfly's developmental stage, Anthony watched one girl find the dress she was destined for.
A few weeks ago a Pine Ridge High School student went through the collection and find the same dress she had fallen in love with at a department store.
The young woman and her mother couldn't afford the $115 dress--the last one in her size, which was also missing some beadwork.
"The mother wasn't working and she's still unemployed, so $115 is a lot of money for someone who has to feed three kids," said Anthony.
Watching the girl find the dress she originally wanted gave Anthony an indescribable feeling.
"We never expected that," said Anthony, who got hugs from the mother and girl.
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Get Your FREE Dress!
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The Butterfly Project also provides dresses to college students who need to attend a formal school event.
- To donate a dress or to set an appointment for a free dress, contact Sadie Anthony at thebutterflyproject.volusia@yahoo.com or call 386-218-5479.
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Anthony also continues to dream big, hoping that she'll one day amass tuxedos and suits for young men and even college scholarships.
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Anthony said it's the only organization of its kind in this area that distributes dresses free of charge, with no questions asked.
A similar national organization called Becca's Closet has dresses throughout Florida, but not in the Volusia area.
As corny as it may sound, Anthony said her idea started with a dream one night. At the time, she was teaching a life skills class to a group of children under foster care and had gotten to know a young woman, who needed a prom dress.
She arranged to get her a free dress, but the girl refused it. But the thought stayed with Anthony and one morning recalled a dream. In it, she watched a group of young women sitting on her sofa, giggling and sorting through a bunch of gowns in the living room.
"I told my husband about it and I said, 'You know, I'm going to do something like that," said Anthony, a welfare transition career specialist at One Stop Employment in Daytona Beach.
She said it half-jokingly, but her husband, Larnell Anthony, encouraged her to make it a reality.
Through The Butterly, girls like Taylor Cooper save their family some needed money.
With finances tight this year, Cooper, 17, recently took advantage of the offer. Crossing her fingers before trying it on, the 11th grader found a floor-length "Greek goddess" style gown.
"Oh honey that's so dreamy," said Butterfly board member Velma Lowe, who assisted her in the shopping session.
As her two aunts swooned about her in the gown, the Spruce Creek High School student used words like "hopeful, amazing, and spectacular" to describe the opportunity.
"I had talked to my parents and they didn't give me a spending limit because they didn't know how much money they could come up with," said Cooper. "So this is really great to get it for free."