Dress closet continues to give back

Two mothers and their daughters held another successful event last weekend, when they helped about 33 girls from eight different schools with homecoming dresses, at Christ Lutheran Church in Paddock Lake. Left to right: Wanda Hutchings and her daughter, Amanda, Anne and her mother, Leslie Taylor (Jason Arndt/The Report).

Homecoming prep already underway

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Homecoming is less than a month away, and for some students making preparations for the annual event, costs could be an obstacle.

To clear the obstacle, two area mothers and their daughters have established a mission to make homecoming easier to plan through a free dress giveaway, held last weekend at Christ Lutheran Church in Paddock Lake.

The free dress giveaway, presented by nonprofit organization A’s Dress Closet, has offered the service for at least five years.

Up until last year, when The Sharing Center of Trevor opened its doors, the event was previously held at the Community Library.

Founded by Wanda Hutchings, of Twin Lakes, and Trevor’s Leslie Taylor, the mothers have firsthand experience of costs associated with school events.

The daughters, Amanda Hutchings and Anne Taylor, are 2015 graduates of Wilmot Union High School who attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“It is just two moms who decided and wanted to help the community offset the costs for girls to attend dances,” Taylor said. “We have to rely on donations. Most of our stock is donated from the community.”

Courtesy of community donations, along with area businesses, the four women helped about 33 girls in the two-day event.

In two days, girls from eight area high schools, spent time browsing through the racks at the church.

The eight schools were Westosha Central, Burlington Catholic Central, Shoreland Lutheran, Wilmot, Indian Trail, Racine Horlick, Union Grove and Burlington.

“We had about 40 people in for this event, and I want to say 33 walked away with a dress,” Taylor said. “I think this is our best turnout so far.”

For Anne, seeing 33 girls come away with a dress is rewarding, considering associated expenses.

Anne recalled dresses cost at least $200 when she attended Wilmot.

“It is really cool to have a dress without having it cost so much,” Anne said. “I like helping other girls with prom and homecoming. It is something to make them feel beautiful.”

Amanda agreed, sharing her experiences at both prom and homecoming, stating she sought the most affordable dresses at homecoming.

Prom, however, proved costlier.

“I usually try to find the cheapest dresses for homecoming, prom is always more expensive,” Amanda said.

The dresses were donated from area stores, like Ooh-La-La Consignment of Antioch, Ill., and Miss Ruby Bridal Boutique of Milwaukee.

While some girls didn’t come away with a dress, they sometimes leave with a pair of shoes, or accessory item like jewelry.

Shoes and accessory items were made possible through help from family and friends, and bought when on sale.

Other contributors to last weekend’s event include, but not limited to, Westosha Floral, Scully’s, Ruth’s Hairlines, Cabana Tan, Bart Hutchings, Bill Taylor, Tenuta’s, Subway, Taste of Italy and Diann Tesar.

Close team
When Amanda and Anne attended Riverview School, the two mothers became friends, and later started A’s Dress Closet.

According to Leslie, the four made it annual event, but the third year was the turning point.

“We reached our goal of that year on how many girls we wanted to be able to help,” Leslie said. “After that, we decided to stick around.”

The decision extends to prom, when the four have its second giveaway of the year. The date for the 2018 event is pending.

Meanwhile, as they plan for the prom giveaway, the daughters look to continue their studies at UW-Whitewater.

Anne, 20, is pursuing an elementary education degree while Amanda, 20, looks to become a special education teacher.

For more information on A’s Dress Closet, visit the organization on its Facebook page.


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