MUNCIE, Ind. — The Girls Coalition of Indiana and the Muncie Police Department have partnered together to create a drive that allows girls not to worry about the cost of Prom dresses.
Community Engagement Manager of Girls Coalition of Indiana, Sharan Abdullah, explained that the mission of Girls Coalition of Indiana is to provide equitable, relatable, and accessible Girl Scout experiences to girls across 20 counties. They partnered with the Muncie Police Department to help provide free prom gowns to girls so that they can have the same experience as other girls.
“The impact we’re hoping for is that girls feel empowered. Girls feel a sense of worth and belonging because the breadth of the work we do is based around girls and their interest in supporting and elevating them,” said Abdullah.
The Muncie Police Department has a program called Girls Who Police, which centers on building foundational things for girls, like confidence and learning police work. The MPD’s Community Engagement Officer, Airn Phillips, saw the Prom Dress Donation Drive as a way to build more confidence for girls and a way for them to be more involved in their community.
“We never want financials to be a barrier to those types of things. So I thought we didn’t have anything like that in the community, and I thought it would be beneficial for young girls here,” said Phillips.
In Muncie, there is a large percentage of students who don’t get to experience prom due to their finances. Airn Phillips also explains how she never wants that to be a barrier to students being able to go to prom.
“I know that a large percentage of the Muncie Central Students face economic hardship, and I never want that to be a barrier to them being able to go to functions like prom. We know prom contributes to friendships for kids, we know it contributes to their social well-being, and we want to make sure that every single girl in this community is able to do that if she wants to,” said Phillips.
The paired goal is to make sure that every girl who shows up to the drive on March 26, will walk away with not only a dress but with more confidence. They also want to make sure that they are very size-inclusive so that every girl is included in this drive and don’t want anyone to be left out.
To donate any gently worn prom or bridesmaids dresses and accessories contact either Arin Phillips at aphillips@muncie.in.gov or Sharan Abdulla at sabdullah@girlcoalitionindiana.org.
Contact Ava Lens with comments at ava.lens@bsu.edu.
