The Cinderella Shop: Hoping to make all of your prom wishes come true

Prom too expensive? Check out The Cinderella Shop in the Swartz Counseling Center on April 15 and 16 for free dresses!

On average, a typical teenage girl spends about $200 for a dress, $60 for shoes and $20 for jewelry.  As significant as prom is to most females with all of the costs, prom can become very expensive.

In order to eliminate your financial concerns, Carlisle’s first annual Cinderella Shop is open for high school girls looking for beautiful, well-maintained formal gowns for a fantastic price: free!

After school on April 15 and 16, from 3-5 p.m., anyone wanting to find a dress is welcome to check out the dresses in the Swartz Counseling Center.

The dresses were gathered via donation.  The event organizers, Swartz school counselor Johanna Jones and secretary Betsy Richwine, sent out a district-wide email to help gather dresses just a few weeks ago.

When asked how the idea came to be, Richwine stated, “My daughter teaches in Mechanicsburg, and they do it there.”

As of today, eighty gowns have been donated, many still with tags on them.

There are not many requirements for the donations; all Jones and Richwine ask is that the dresses are still in nice shape.

“We don’t want a dress that has stains. It has to look clean. There shouldn’t be any rips or tears. We also don’t want any items that are outdated,” said Richwine.

The wardrobe should be gowns that look like they have never been worn. The dress should make the individual feel beautiful on their special day.

If the girl is interested in keeping the gown, they are more than welcome to do so. If you feel as though the dress will not get used again, the gown should be donated back to the school.

The future goal for the Cinderella Shop is to continue their services for other dances, such as Homecoming and Winter Ball.