‘Happyness’ Blooms

Warwick women team up to bring prom dreams to life for local girls in need

Tim Forsberg
Posted 1/22/15

The ritual of a high school prom is a decades-old tradition, a rite of passage for young men and women and a milestone to celebrate with family, friends and a significant other.

For many, it is …

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‘Happyness’ Blooms

Warwick women team up to bring prom dreams to life for local girls in need

Posted

The ritual of a high school prom is a decades-old tradition, a rite of passage for young men and women and a milestone to celebrate with family, friends and a significant other.

For many, it is also a time of angst, high expectations and even higher costs.

Thanks to the dreams of five Warwick Veterans Memorial High School alumni, deserving girls who may not have been able to afford the prom experience will now have the chance to attend.

Warwick’s Happyness Blooms Inc., a pending 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a recently formed collaboration between five women of the Warwick Veterans High School Class of 1982. They envision prom gowns and accessories being given free of charge to Warwick girls who may have been prevented from attending their school’s proms due to financial challenges.

“It probably costs a girl upwards of four to five hundred dollars to go to a prom when all is said and done,” said Happyness Blooms board member and treasurer Dawn Engelhardt. “Four out of five of the women on our board have girls and know what an expense it is to send a girl to prom.”

Inspired by an event in Boston last year at which all five volunteered, called Bella of the Ball, which cleans and distributes prom dresses and related accessories at no charge to high school junior and senior girls, this group wanted to do more.

“We acted as personal shoppers for the girls; it was like a boutique day,” Engelhardt said. “We each had a girl and we walked them through and tried on dresses with them. This show sparked an interest to take the idea locally.”

In April of last year, they filed for incorporation in Rhode Island and held their first meeting in May. They’ve been working with an attorney and the IRS to complete all the necessary steps to become an official non-profit organization. They’ve also set a budget and have applied for grants from organizations within the city to assist with the start-up. They expect to hear of their status with the IRS within the next 90 days.

“This year we weren’t really sure what to expect, and we’ve had some growing pains,” said secretary and board member Kerri Janton. “This is the first time we’ve all worked together in a professional environment, and we’re trying hard not to step on each other’s toes.”

“We’re all from the same school and have known each other for decades,” Engelhardt said. “Our kids grew up together, and we’ve reconnected through Facebook. We all turned 50 this year and saw this as a great way to give back.”

All five are on the organization’s board of directors in different roles. Their initial goal is to enhance the prom experience for 50 young women in Warwick by providing the means to attend their prom with all the accoutrements. The organization collects donations of quality new and gently used formal dresses and gowns, as well as accessories. They’ve collected more than 200 dresses so far.

“I think one of our biggest challenges is making sure we have a variety of dresses so we can support the needs of the girls,” Engelhardt said. “For girls, it’s not picking out the first dress they see - they may look at 10 to 15 dresses before they get the right one. In order to do that, we have to expand our variety, and that’s a challenge.”

The organization relies on recommendations from school officials, counselors, social service agencies, parents and others when selecting its recipients. Referral forms for students, found on the group’s website, may be completed by school officials, social service workers or parents. Extenuating circumstances are carefully considered. The personal information is kept confidential.

The women have also partnered with nearby businesses who’ve assisted with fundraising and dress collections. Warwick firefighters recently served as guest bartenders for a benefit at Warwick’s Tavern 12.

“I was excited to help with this fundraiser; it’s a great organization,” said Tavern 12 owner Matt DeSarli, who bought Tavern 12 about a year ago. “As a new business owner, I know how difficult it can be to start up a cause like this, and I was thankful to them for letting us be a part of their event.”

“Our success is about staying local, and we collected about 50 dresses during this event,” Engelhardt said. “For us, this was a huge contribution.”

There are two drop-off locations where donors may leave dresses: Warwick’s Salon X and Majestic Cleaners. Collected dresses, if used, are taken to volunteer Sandy Kohlman at Majestic Cleaners for cleaning, which could be a considerable expense.

“I feel so blessed that she’s helped,” Janton said. “She’s wonderful, we couldn’t do this without her taking on the expense of cleaning dresses, which is about $40 per dress. She’s incredibly accommodating.”

With prom season fast approaching, the organization plans to hold a Prom Dress Boutique Day on April 12. With a tagline of “The dress of your dreams is within your reach and fairy tales can come true,” they plan on showcasing their dress collection to participating girls. The young women will have a day of looking at dresses with a personal shopper, receive hair and makeup tips and enjoy a day of gifts and pampering. To help achieve the event, community volunteers are needed.

“We’d love to have volunteers reach out to us too, as well as donors,” Engelhardt said. “If they’re interested in being a part of what we’re doing…from referring a young lady or helping with projects, we’d love to hear from them.”

For additional information, visit Happyness Bloom’s website at happynessblooms.wix.com/fairy-godmothers-ri or email happynessblooms@gmail.com.

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