Freeport HS seniors prep for prom

Freeport High School seniors will be “dressed to the nines” come prom time.

The Nassau County Police Department, with the help of the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, held its annual prom boutique for the students on April 20 at the NCPD Center for Training and Intelligence, at 1 Law Enforcement Way in Garden City.

Both male and female students were assisted in picking out the clothes they will wear to their prom.

The non-profit Long Island Volunteer Center launched the prom boutique 31 years ago to provide young girls in need with dresses so that they could attend their proms.

This year, the police department organized the event — with the help of the Rotary Club and other volunteers — after first becoming involved with the cause six years ago.

“The prom boutique was established as a way to provide young ladies in need with prom gowns and accessories like shoes, handbags, scarves, jewelry,” said Emily Margulis, a Rotary Club member who’s responsible for the organization’s involvement in the prom boutique.

“They get recommendations (for which students might benefit from the boutique) from the different high schools, the guidance counselors,” Margulis said. “And this helps underserved young ladies. This is the second year… that they have taken on men and… were able to get suits.

“These are young men and young women who would not be able to afford to go to prom,” Margulis added.

As part of the drive, the female students receive two gowns, as well as one dress for graduation. Male students get one suit with two shirts, and each receives a pair of shoes.

The students get to keep the clothes that they receive from the boutique.

Without the proper attire, students might not even attend graduation, let alone prom, Margulis said.

Some of the dresses were gently used, with Macy’s donating most of the attire. Estelle Dresses and Jovani also have both previously donated dresses, and any articles of clothing not used are recycled for the next year.

A group of 82 students from Freeport High School were the first to arrive on April 20 to pick their dresses, gowns or suits.

The boys and girls were given time to select the items of clothing they wished to take home, with some of the students FaceTiming their parents for input and advice.

Volunteers, including Rotary Club vice president Jordan Pecora and members Dr. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith and Eddy Marc-Charles, assisted some of the male students who were not aware of their own suit and shoe sizes, or how to properly pair their suits with shirts.

“It’s nice to see (male volunteers from the rotary) because they can mentor these young men on how to dress, what to wear, what goes with what,” Margulis said.

Overall, a total of around 450 students attended the event, with some arriving from Suffolk County and the city as well. The first event 31 years ago assisted only about 10 girls.

Some of these students currently reside in homeless shelters across Long Island.

In addition to providing a location for the event to take place, the Nassau County Police Department also offers year-wide storage for the dresses and gowns.

The NCPD’s adoption of the event came from a desire within the police department after having assisted in the prom dress drive in previous years.

A part of the NCPD’s motivation in taking charge of the boutique is to demonstrate to students that police officers are there to help and serve in order to promote trust of the police force among local youth.

Eight members of the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club were present and volunteered at the event.

The Freeport High School prom will be taking place on June 12 at the Crest Hollow Country Club.

“The joy in (it) for me is to know that a child now can go to prom, and a child feels that they’re valued,” Margulis said.

“And it raises their self-esteem,” she added. “Then you feel, ‘okay, I did a good job,’ and it’s not about me feeling good about myself. It’s me knowing that they feel good about themselves.”