Every girl deserves to look and feel beautiful on her prom night. That’s the mission of Amanda Bright and her few volunteers who put on Operation Prom each year.
Operation Prom is a free service open to any girl who needs formalwear, shoes, makeup or jewelry. It’s not limited to Carroll County. This year it will be on March 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Carroll County High School gym.
“I just want the girls to come and have fun,” Bright said. She noted that parents can wait for the daughters, but personal shoppers help the girls. “It takes all the stress off the parents.” The girls are also fed and given all the attention they would like.
Operation Prom actually began 15-20 years ago when Samantha Abercrombie, who is a CCHS grad and former teacher in the system, identified a need. Bright has volunteered for several years and she took the reins of the project when Abercrombie left Carroll County.
“We only had 10 or 12 dresses the first year,” Bright said. Now, the event takes up the entirety of the CCHS gym. Facebook and word of mouth are two of the big reasons it has grown, she said.
A few years ago the group had a major setback when all their dresses and regalia were sold after the storage facility they were using was sold. “That year we were a month away and found out we had nothing,” Bright said. She contacted a friend named Leah McIntyre who lives in Crestwood and, with her help, the group had nearly 500 dresses to offer that year.
“The community rallied together,” she said. By the time Operation Prom was held that year, nearly 1,000 dresses were on racks for girls.
This year, the big needs are volunteers, shoes and large totes to store the dresses and other items.
“The need for girls is growing, but if you don’t have volunteers to put it on, you won’t be able to help these girls,” she said. “I just really want to help these girls. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, we just want you to use the program.”
Ultimately, Bright would like to have a permanent structure on the school grounds that could be used to store dresses on hangers and allow girls to shop for formalwear at any time of year. “I want to be able to help girls year-round.”
Bright’s passion is evident in her voice and in the amount of time she physically gives to the project. She estimated it takes six to eight hours to set up the event and at least that many hours to shop and dismantle everything. Anyone wishing to volunteer can go to the group’s Facebook page at Operation Prom Dress - Carrollton, KY or contact Bright at 525-7849. Bright said volunteers can also come to the high school gym at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 17. She particularly needs volunteers who have trucks and/or trailers to transport the totes from storage.