Rows and rows of dresses in every color and size hung in the basement of Cropwell Baptist Church on Saturday as girls from around St. Clair County came through the doors to choose their gown for prom.

YWCA Central Alabama hosted a Prom Palooza event in Pell City and provided free prom dresses to St. Clair County girls in need. Accessories such as jewelry and shoes were also available.

“We want to make sure that every girl has a chance to enjoy her prom,” said Vernetta Bowman, rural domestic violence services coordinator for the YWCA. “It’s such an exciting time for high school students and we want the girls to be able to enjoy every minute.”

One of those girls, who was getting a dress to attend a Junior/Senior banquet at her high school, was 12^th grader Ivalee Smith and her mother, April. Ivalee found the perfect dress. It was long to fit school regulations, but the full-length dress shimmered with a black overlay and a trail of twinkling stars adorning the front.

“When your daughter says it looks like she’s wearing the night sky, you know it’s the one,” April Smith said. “Being able to have the biggest part of any outfit provided is awesome. It helps so much and it’s such a wonderful ministry. I don’t know how many girls would not be able to go to prom or banquet without this ministry.”

Fifty-one girls received dresses, along with shoes, jewelry, and accessories at the Prom Palooza event. Volunteers helped girls to find the perfect dress, which they were able to try on. Once the dresses were chosen, along with matching shoes and accessories, the dresses were steamed to make sure they looked their best. Many of the dresses still had the new sales tags on them.

The YWCA has operated My Sister’s Closet, which provides free clothing to clients and a high-quality, low-cost shopping option for the community, in downtown Birmingham for years. When the staff realized that the high cost of prom dresses made it impossible for some girls to attend, the idea for Prom Palooza was born. Last year, about 100 girls in St. Clair and Jefferson counties received free gowns.

The YW has had a presence in St. Clair County since 2009, when it opened Our Place, an emergency shelter for domestic violence victims and their children, in Pell City. Each year, the Purse & Passion St. Clair County Luncheon raises critical funding for the shelter. Members of the luncheon’s Steering Committee help organize the Prom Palooza event.

“These ladies make a tremendous difference in our community, and we are so grateful for all they do,” Bowman said. “They are truly dedicated to the women and children we serve and work so hard to meet every need, whether it’s a prom dress, furniture or household items.”

YWCA Central Alabama is a United Way agency dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The YWCA provides child development programs for children of homeless and working poor families; safe, affordable housing; a broad array of domestic violence services; and social justice programs. For more information, please visit www.ywcabham.org, http://www.facebook.com/YWCACentralAlabama and http://www.youtube.com/ywcentralal or follow @YWCentralAL on Twitter.