High school students pick up their prom dresses at PROMise event

SALISBURY, Md. – It’s a tradition that’s been going on for 10 years, pairing high school students with their dream prom dress.

Recipient Avisia Deshield said the resource helped alleviate a lot of the stress, during the hectic prom season.

“I was kind of worried about getting a dress, and then this came up, and it was a lot of pressure taken off, it was very fun to do,” Deshields said.

Paying it forward with a dress was the idea that founder of Promise, Betsy Affayroux, had back in 2014, when she noticed many of her son’s classmates didn’t attend their prom.

“We started researching what it costs to go to a prom and the cost is astronomical and not everybody has the money to buy the dress and the shoes and the makeup,” Affayroux said. “We wanted to help, and it’s available to anybody, no matter what your circumstances are.”

Celebrating a decade in the business, Affayroux continues to provide dresses for prom goers on Delmarva, an experience that recipients enjoy.

“I had a lot of fun trying on dresses and finding one that I really liked, and picking out jewelry was also very fun, too,” Deshields said.

Helping Deshields find the perfect dress, her cousin, Lekkisha Dryden, said when she found her gown, her reaction was priceless.

“I literally could see her especially, but all the girls, transform and see the look on their face when they found that dress,” Dryden said.