The Girls Run the World Club (GRTW) at the Octorara Junior-Senior High School will hold its annual Dress to Express Prom Showcase on Friday, March 11. During the event, club members will model some of the prom dresses that are available for students to "purchase" from Kacie's Kloset in exchange for donations of nonperishable food items for the Octorara Area Food Cupboard.
The showcase will be held in the high school auditorium during the school day for juniors and seniors. A second show, open to the entire community at no charge, will be held that evening beginning at 6 p.m. in the junior high MTR room. Food donations will be collected that night for the food cupboard.
"(The girls) have already picked out their dresses," said Tina O'Connor, GRTW adviser, a licensed professional counselor from Experience Positive Therapy in Parkesburg. "This year we will have a red carpet. There will be music and lots of fun."
The backdrop for the showcase will be created by members of Girl Scout Troop 415 as a community service project. Tracey Polito from Kacie's Cause will be the master of ceremonies for the event, and she will present information about the girls and give a description of their outfits.
Polito will also talk about Kacie's Cause, a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of and education about drug abuse. The charity is named for Kacie Rumford, who died at the age of 23 from an overdose.
Together, Kacie's Cause and GRTW run Kacie's Kloset at the high school, offering a wide assortment of donated prom gowns in all sizes and styles. There are also shoes, purses and a small selection of tuxedos.
"Dresses are (sorted) by size, and we have racks in there that hold the shoes and accessories. It looks like a store," O'Connor said, noting that dress donations from the community are added to the room on an ongoing basis.
GRTW is an after-school mentoring program that meets on Mondays. "We work on self-esteem, confidence and accepting each other as we are," O'Connor explained. "This year's theme has been explaining what success is, what beauty is and what strength is."
O'Connor believes that walking down the runway is something that should be celebrated, and she encourages the community to attend the showcase. "I want (people) to come out and support the bravery and courage of these girls. They deserve to be acknowledged," she said.
In addition to O'Connor, other volunteers who will contribute to the effort include professional photographer Shelly McKenna, who will take photos of each of the girls; Experience Positive Therapy intern Lauren Thatcher; Debra Wentz, who will provide dress alterations; Kate Dill, the Octorara guidance counselor; and Jenn Litwin, who assists O'Connor with GRTW.
Octorara Junior-Senior High School is located at 226 Highland Road, Atglen. For more information about the event, visit the Facebook event page, "Dress to Express Prom Showcase presented by Girls Run The World." More information is also available at http://www.facebook.com/KaciesCauseParkesburg.
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