ATLANTA — A local woman collects prom dresses to gift to young ladies around town to wear on their special night.
Kayla Lewis and her sister Shayla are shopping for a dress — a prom dress.
“Prom is special for girls. It’s magical. It’s beautiful. This is definitely a blessing for everyone to come,” Kayla Lewis said.
A showroom in the Old National Mall in College Park has hundreds of dresses, courtesy of a lady named Merle Skipwith. She’s known to her friends as “Ms. Skippy.”
“When she turns around and looks in the mirror, she feels like a queen. That’s my job,” Ms. Skippy said.
But she’s done one better. Lots of high school girls around these parts can’t afford a prom dress. So the price tag on every one of the dresses in the showroom is zero. “This helps a lot. Look at this dress right here. This is a little girl’s dream,” parent Latisha Mondesire said.
Ms. Skippy has been doing this for more than 10 years. She says it’s especially important this year, since COVID caused the cancellation of most proms in 2020 and 2021 and caused so much job loss. “Makes me proud. It makes me proud. I know I’m making a difference, and that’s my point,” Ms. Skippy said.
The Lewis sisters are grateful.
“Having all these dresses is really nice. You can also use these for graduation as well as prom. It’s really good they do this for all the students right now who are struggling,” Shayla Lewis said.
Ms. Skippy says if you need a prom dress, come on over. If you have a new or slightly used dress to donate, come on over to Old National Mall. The address is 4855 Old National Highway, College Park. It’s open for the next four weeks or so on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. For more information, you can text 937-829-7597.
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