Elmont nonprofits gave away prom attire for those in need

The expense for attending the prom can force many students to skip the memorable event, but a prom giveaway at Elmont Memorial High School gave several students a chance to be part of the great prom experience.

Nonprofits Meera Empowerment and You’re Our Unity collaborated with the school’s PTSA to offer prom dresses, shoes, accessories and suits to the young women and men who will be graduating this year from high school, middle school and elementary school. Donations came from local businesses and residents.

“I love prom,” said Selene Ferdinand, the young high school student who runs Meera Empowerment. “I didn’t have my prom yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a time that you get to express yourself and feel that you can do it, and it’s a milestone that you got there. My favorite part is that you get to dress up and just feel yourself.”

Meera Empowerment’s community involvement features presenting fashion shows and hosting parties to raise money for its programs. Programs include cooking, sewing and craft lessons held at rented spaces throughout Elmont. It also takes local residents to Ronald McDonald House Charities for volunteer opportunities.

Two years ago, Meera Empowerment partnered with You’re Our Unity to hold these prom giveaways at high schools throughout Long Island. Every year, the giveaway is hosted in a different town.

“We are looking to branch out to different communities to let them know that we are welcoming everyone in,” said LeShawn Walker, representing You’re Our Unity at the giveaway. “You don’t necessarily have to travel every year to get to the event.”

Each giveaway is directed towards outfitting students from all over the island.

“This is not only for Elmont children,” said Savitre Ferdinand, Selene’s mother. “It’s for children in the community. They need a prom dress, they come out and they have it. Hopefully we make them happy.”

The giveaway program started three years ago with You’re Our Unity with a giveaway in Valley Stream. Last year the giveaway was in Hempstead.

Before the giveaways started, friend and partner of You’re Our Unity Diane Catave was dress shopping in the city and didn’t feel welcome. She and her daughter didn’t receive the attention they felt they deserved in the stores. Her daughter felt dejected. Catave thought about all the young women who weren’t being treated well by the shopkeepers or couldn’t afford dresses. So she started this program.

“This is really needed, especially in underserved communities,” Walker said. “Having a prom is not a cheap task. It’s very expensive. And every year it gets more and more expensive.”

Tailor Brands representative Anthony Giuriceo was on hand to giveaway raffle prizes of a pair of tuxedo rentals.

“We’re very involved in the communities we exist in,” Giuriceo said. “To be part of the community we like to give back. We like to say we understand things aren’t maybe easy for everybody and we want to try to help everybody that we can.”

This year, the aim was to outfit at least 100 students. They ended up giving away 40 dresses, four pairs of shoes and one suit. They want to extend the giveaway and host it again next month if they can find the right location, so that more students can benefit from the program.

“You want your kids to look their best, feel their best, and not have to worry about how much their parents are able to spend,” Walker said. “We want to make sure the focus is more on their academics, the joy of them graduating, and we’ll take care of the other little details: the dressing, the shoes, the accessories and things like that.”

For Walker, this is personal. Her high school was an all-girls school, and the boys were three towns away. Even if they were available, her mother didn’t allow her to date. She missed her prom and wishes she could have gone.

“I actually didn’t get to go to my prom, so I’m vicariously living through this moment,” Walker said.

For the students who get to go to their proms this year, they reflect back on high school and look forward to the future.

“Prom is a rite of passage for a high school senior,” said Rose-Kella Seide, an Elmont High student. “It’s one that is very valuable to me. A time I can spend with my friends, dance, have a good time together, and cherish for many years to come.”

“High school was an interesting experience,” said Seide, who plans to attend Molloy College to study nursing. “It’s a precursor to many more challenges to come. I’ve grown a lot through high school. I appreciate all the life lessons that I’ve gotten through high school.”

Odia Keira, a middle school student at a charter school, said she will miss her teachers and the culture of her school. She said she has adapted to her school’s customs.

“I made mistakes so I feel I can push past those mistakes,” Keira said about middle school.

She didn’t get a chance to go shopping for a prom dress, and her mother is always looking for free community resources. Keira is looking forward to her middle school prom and going to high school to meet new people and have new experiences.

“It’s a final goodbye to all my friends and teachers,” Keira said.