MERIDEN –– Melissa Kasperzyk founded Prom Angels with the mission of offering high school girls a boutique-like shopping experience while selecting free prom dresses.
This April, Prom Angels will celebrate its 10th anniversary.
“It's been awesome,” she said. “I literally started with one of my prom dresses in my closet. We've helped so many families and students who need a dress for prom.”
Over the past decade, Prom Angels has served more than 400 families from Meriden, Wallingford, Waterbury and other districts across Connecticut. Kasperzyk said many homeschooled students sign up for the event each year.
So far, 60 girls have registered for this year's event, which will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. April 1-3 in the teen room at the Meriden Health Department, 165 Miller St.
Kasperzyk, a former Meriden resident and 2005 graduate of H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, studied hairdressing and remembers prom as an expensive time in high school. She wanted to ease the financial burden on families, as prom can be costly.
Since Prom Angels launched, Meriden Health Department Director Lea Crown has been a strong supporter of the initiative, Kasperzyk said. The organization receives an annual grant from the department to cover decorations, signage and other expenses.
“They've gotten us portable dressing rooms, racks, the backdrops for photos, the big ring light, so that it can feel like a fun boutique, rather than just like a free charity giveaway,” Kasperzyk said. “This year, we put an Amazon wish list out to the public and Lea picked up the whole wish list before anyone else could donate.”
For the past three years, the boutique has been set up at the Health Department, though it has also been hosted at other locations, such as Valentin Karate in Meriden.
Kasperzyk is currently sorting through 1,000 dresses, along with shoes and accessories, to decide which items will be displayed for students. She said the annual pop-up shop has received so many donations over the years that she donates many dresses to other organizations and schools in need of costumes for plays.
In addition to prom attire, Kasperzyk said the students also receive gift cards for food, hair, makeup and nails.
Barietta Perez became a volunteer at Prom Angels a year after attending the boutique herself in 2017. She signed up for the event during her senior year of high school because her family was facing economic hardship. She picked a plain long black dress with green accessories.
Perez said she remembers being fitted and receiving help from volunteers who assisted her in choosing her dress and accessories, making it a great experience. She wanted to give that same experience to other girls.
“I know exactly how they feel,” Perez said. “They come in shy and not totally sure of what they want. It’s nice to have another girl come in and help you pick things out and make you feel good about what you’re wearing.”
While selecting their dresses, students can have light makeup applied by a makeup artist at the event. After trying on their dresses, they take photos with a sign that reads, “I said yes to the prom dress at Prom Angels CT Boutique.”
Perez said it has been amazing to see how much Prom Angels has grown in 10 years.
"I’ve seen how much more their inventory has grown, how much more people are just donating so many things,” she said. “People see the value in this.”