Prince George Dress Dreams founder Mandy Paavola (c) and volunteers Erin Robb (l) and Jaime Gray (r) prepare for today's fittings   250News photo

Prince George, BC –  It is 'Dream Day' for 11 young women from around the city who were nominated for a day of pampering, as part of selecting their prom dresses…

Prince George Dress Dreams Founder, Mandy Paavola, says the Grade 12 students will arrive at the Columbus Community Centre later today where they will be greeted by her growing army of volunteers.  Photo below right shows Taya Edwards helping to set up the racks of gowns at the centre yesterday.

Paavola says the teens will be 'overwhelmed' by dresses to try on; find the right shoes and accessories; have their hair and make-up done by artists from Core Salon; and then pose for an individual photo shoot with Whisky Jack Studios.

This is the 3rd year for the local event, which grew out of Paavola's belief that prom is a rite of passage that should be accessible to anyone who wants to attend.  "The girls are all nominated by their teachers – they all come from different backgrounds and their reasons for being nominated vary."

She says the number of girls nominated this year is down slightly from last spring, but feels if even one girl is helped, the event is worthwhile.

Paavola says the quality and quantity of donations from the community have been amazing.  "We were joking the other day about how we had 25 pairs of shoes the first year and thought that was amazing.  Now," she says, "We have six bins of shoes to choose from and, every year, the products that are donated get better and better."

"We're actually at the point where we can thin our stock a little bit and get rid of the 'okay' stuff because everything is so amazing."

To find out more information or to donate for next year, click here.