Prom is one of the most anticipated moments of high school. However, not everyone can afford the steep costs of a dress, shoes, and jewelry.

The Ladies Board of INOVA Loudoun Hospital is partnering with the Honors Society at Woodgrove High School to create a pop-up prom dress shop so everyone has a chance to wear the dress of their dreams.

“It will be held on Saturday, March 25 at the Twice Is Nice Thrift Shop,” Denise Goff, a member of the Ladies Board of INOVA Loudoun Hospital, said. “The prices are around $25 for each dress.”

The Prom Dress Pop-Up shop is made possible by donations. Anybody can donate their old prom dresses, jewelry, and shoes to the Twice Is Nice Thrift Shop, or the Nostalgia Clothing Store in Purcellville. There will be some items for guys as well, but the event is mainly for the ladies.

“We upcycle the dresses, it’s all about that,” Goff said. “We sew, we clean, we do everything so they will be in very good condition.”

Hosting the Prom Dress Pop-Up shop is not the first time the Ladies Board of INOVA Loudoun Hospital has gotten active in their community. Founded in 1912 with the inception of the Leesburg Hospital, the Ladies Board of Managers was organized by local churchwomen to provide volunteer supervision of housekeeping, and to raise funds for the hospital.

The initial 40 Board members supplied kitchen and dining equipment, bedding, and food for the hospital and its patients. That hospital is now named INOVA Loudoun Hospital, and the Ladies Board hosts many projects such as The Annual Rummage Sale, which was established in 1926, The Hospital Gift Shop at Lansdowne, the Lights of Love remembrance program, and the Polly Clemens Nursery Fund.

Their mission is to promote good will between the community and the hospital, and to raise funds for patient services, nursing education, and hospital projects. The Prom Dress Pop-Up shop is one of their many ways of accomplishing that.

The funds from the Prom Dress Pop-Up shop are going to a section of the INOVA Hospital called FACT (forensic assessment and consultation teams). FACT provides survivors of sexual assault with medical care and an emotional support team. They make sure that all survivors have everything they need, including follow-up medical care, referrals for advocacy, and mental health services.

FACT also helps gather evidence if a survivor chooses to report the crime to the police.

“I would encourage all students to get involved,” Goff said. “Things like this that are recycling and upcycling for a good cause are fabulous.”

This is the second year of the Prom Dress Pop-Up shop, which was started in 2019. COVID caused the shop to be put on hold again until 2023.

However, events like the Prom Dress Pop-Up shop only happen with the support of the community.

“We would love to have student volunteers at this event and the thrift shop,” Goff said. “We run the thrift shop all year long, and we’re open from 10-4 every day, even Saturdays, so we try to work around the schedules of student volunteers.”

Working hand-in-hand with the local community, the Ladies Board hopes to inform more people about the work that they do in order to touch the lives of others.

“I would encourage students to donate their prom dresses and help spread the word about the pop-up shop,” Goff said. “You know, things like this can be done anywhere, you can even do it at your own school.”