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Making high school dreams come true
Tracey Fest (left) and Debbie Licata collected more than 70 prom gowns from UB dental students and staff for the Gowns 4 Proms community event. Photo: CYNDEE BILLONI
For the second year, Tracey Fest and Debbie Licata, members of the UB School of Dental Medicine’s Smile Team, have participated in the annual Gowns 4 Proms community event that provides young women from local high schools—who may not be able to afford a prom gown—free, previously owned gowns that have been donated specifically for this purpose.
This year, Fest and Licata, who both work in the Department of Pediatric and Community Dentistry, collected more than 70 gowns during February and March donated by dental school students and staff. They also volunteered their time for the event by helping manage the traffic into and out of the dressing rooms.
“We’re in a unique position to collect dresses because many of our students are at an age to have prom gowns and bride’s maid dresses just hanging in their closets collecting dust,” said Fest.
“You think you’ll find some place to wear them again, but you never do,” added Licata.
Sponsored by the UB dental school, the UB Smile Team’s mission is to provide Western New Yorkers with dental education and to help them find a dental home. They go to schools and organization; participate in Buffalo’s “Clean Sweep,” where they distribute dental information to neighborhood residents; and organize the annual Give Kids a Smile Day, which is where they connected with Colvin Cleaners.
Paul Billoni, the owner and president of Colvin Cleaners, volunteers his time to organize and run a coat-check service for the more than 400 children, parents and teachers who attend GKSD.
“Paul was so generous to us during Smile Day that I asked him how we could return the favor and he encouraged us to donate gowns and work the Gowns 4 Proms event,” said Fest.
Sponsored by Colvin Cleaners and organized by Colvin Vice President Cyndee Billoni, in conjunction with WIVB-TV and Western New York high schools, the Gowns 4 Proms event collects gowns from individuals, organizations and local dress shops.
On the day of the event, Shea’s Performing Arts Center is transformed into a prom dress department store, with racks of gowns organized on the stage according to size and color, accompanied by tables of handbags and jewelry, and even shoes—all at no cost to the students. The event takes place in April, just in time for prom season, and lasts three days, with different schools assigned to attend on different days.
After selecting their dresses, the students are sent to Shea’s professional dressing rooms to try them on and are then escorted to another part of Shea’s where a professional alteration department has been set up to have a seamstress personalize the dress’s fit. After the alterations are completed, the dresses are professionally cleaned and delivered to the students’ high schools.
Fest and Licata both described what it’s like to help the students choose their gowns.
“You see girls who come with teachers and no parent, girls who arrive with their mothers and sometimes you see girls with their fathers who, not used to being in this position, may rely on the volunteers to help their daughters make the appropriate choices. Some of these girls might not even be able to attend their proms without this event. They are so excited. It’s moving,” said Licata.
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