By Katie Regan

For many high school girls, prom is something to look forward to all year; a celebratory, memorable last-hurrah before everyone graduates and goes their separate ways.

It’s also a strain on their wallets. In addition to a dress that can cost several hundred dollars, there are shoes, purses, wraps, jewelry, make-up and hairdos to pay for. For some girls, this means prom just isn’t an option.

But thanks to Prom Dreams, a group of Issaquah moms and daughters collecting gently-used dresses, that iconic high school dance shouldn’t be out-of-reach for anyone who wants to go. They hope to gather enough dresses to host a “prom boutique” event next spring for senior girls who can’t afford new gowns.

“It’s a tough time for so many people, they have to budget and scrimp, and we just want to make every girl feel lucky,” said Karen Odegard, one of the mothers involved in Prom Dreams. “We want to make sure every young woman has the chance to feel special and wear a beautiful dress at her prom.”

Odegard dreamed the project up as something that would be important to girls in the community, but also to the girls involved in running it.

“It’ll be really good for the kids to see that it’s possible to come up with an idea and make it real, and follow it all the way through to the end,” she said.

Four mother-daughter teams have been working for about three months on the project. All the girls are current high-school juniors.

The group will be hosting its first Dress Drive from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturday June 13 at the Front Street Shell station, to collect dresses from community members.

People are welcome to donate any size, color or style, but the dresses should be in good condition. Odegard said they’re hoping to collect several hundred dresses by next March.

The group will host several drives between now and then, and will also come out to people’s homes to pick dresses up.

Once everything is collected and prom season rolls around again, Odegard said she expects they’ll have several dress fairs during March — the month most girls begin their dress shopping — at Stella Vintage & Modern, on Front Street.

“The store is very high-end and gorgeous, so that really takes away a lot of the stigma involved with buying something pre-worn,” she said. “We want the girls to feel the same as if they were going shopping at Nordstrom with their friends. We want them to have fun.”

The fair will be open to any senior girl with an ASB card, though Odegard said the event is really geared toward girls who can’t afford a dress otherwise. However, there is no income-qualfier required to get a dress.

And the dresses come at a steal. The most anyone will pay is the average price of dry cleaning.

“We won’t be making a penny of profit from this,” Odegard said.

The group is just starting to get the word out about the dress drive, but Odegard said they have solicited sororities at the University of Washington for any unwanted dresses, and have started printing flyers to hand out around town. They’re also looking for evening bags and sandals, wraps, and any other prom accessory that’s in good shape.

“We’re hoping people will remember their special night at prom, and want to make sure the same thing is possible for someone else,” Odegard said. “We don’t want these girls to feel like they had to scrimp and struggle just to get a beautiful dress.”

For more information, or to donate a dress, contact Karen Odegard at kpodegard@msn.com.