Local group helps students look like princesses for prom
Provided photo: Cosmetology teacher Sue Lindke with student Samantha Macek who is looking for the perfect prom dress.
Press Release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Paula Travis believes that every young lady going to the prom deserves to look her best regardless of their financial reosurces. That is why she started the organization WHO (Women Helping Others).
The organization is run out of the Zion Lutheran Church of Gasport and offers Becca’s Closet.
“The organization is dedicated to carrying on the legacy of Rebecca Kirtmann, a high school student from Florida, who believed that every girl should be able to attend formal school-sponsored events, such as prom and homecoming, despite their financial situation,” Travis said. “Becca collected hundreds of gowns by herself and gave them to girls free of charge. She was killed in a car accident in 2003 and her friends and family carry on her legacy nationwide.”
Recently Paula stopped into the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center and offered dresses to students. Many students stopped by the cosmetology class where Ms. Travis set up for the day and tried on gowns until they found the perfect one for themselves.
“This is just a wonderful thing for our students. It is great to see them walk out of here feeling like a princess,” said cosmetology teacher Sue Lindke. “All that Paula asks is that the students pay it forward by bringing a personal care item in to help out others who are in need.”
