The smile on a girl’s face is irreplaceable when she tries on that perfect prom dress. Students from the Pre-Professional and Graduate Section at ETSU have taken on a project that has already lit up its share of young faces.
The Head to Toe program, created by students in the Family and consumer sciences department, was designed to assist young women who cannot afford a high school prom dress to purchase a new or slightly used gown for $20.
T.J. Furchess, a freshman at ETSU, developed the idea of the program. “I have thought of making prom dresses available to girls at little cost since 2001,” Furchess said. “It wasn’t until I returned to ETSU to complete my formal education that the opportunity was made available to develop a project.”
Furchess proposed the idea to PGS and Head to Toe kicked off in fall 2003.
“The concern of the students was that some people can buy what ever they want and some don’t have the resources,” said Alison Schaefer, an instructor at ETSU, who has been working with the students on the project.
When Head to Toe began, the students had big ideas, but no dresses, Schaefer said.
“I think this program benefits everybody involved,” she said. “The students (benefited) because they got to design the program, and they get to develop their leadership skills. I don’t think they ever even realized they were having fun, too.”
The fun caught on.
The fashions advertising and promotions class at ETSU decided to get involved as well and developed a fashion show to help. After collecting 35 dresses, the students modeled the gowns at the Carnegie Hotel and raised $600 from ticket sales for the event.
The money raised went to Girls Inc., Schaefer said.
Then came the big moment: On Feb. 28, ETSU students loaded up the donated gowns and visited Girls Inc. of Johnson City. Many of the girls at Girls Inc. tried on gowns.
“The first reaction from the sale of a prom dress was from a father who thought the price was fantastic,” Furchess said. “And the girl loved how she looked in the dress.”
The Head to Toe program will be visiting Unicoi County High School on Friday, April 16 to help more middle and high school girls find the perfect prom dress, Schaefer said.
“Where girls are concerned, fashion is a key ingredient,” Furchess said. “We love to shop and it is a great pick-up.”
The money raised from the sale of the gowns will be used to fund a flip-flop workshop on May 6 at Girls Inc.
“There are 50-plus girls who are looking forward to decorating and personalizing their own flip-flops for summer,” Furchess said.
The ETSU students involved in the program want to add another part to the Head to Toe next fall as well, Schaefer said. Spending time with the girls at Girls Inc., the students would teach them about image, dressing casually, dressing for less and make-up.
“It is a lot more reasonable to buy one or two nice things and mix and match and the money goes a lot further,” Schaefer said. “Their self image is better if they blend in with classmates.”
The students with the Head to Toe program will continue to collect dresses through the fall and launch the program again in the spring.
New or slightly used gowns can be donated and a receipt can be issued for tax purposes.
Contact Alison Schaefer at 439-7502 for more information.

Author