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Blessed Boutique

Prom Dress Giveaway Provides Free Prom Attire to Area High School Students

Blessed Boutique, formerly known as Belle of the Ball, is offering gowns, shoes, jewelry, and more to area high school students at no cost to them.

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Blessed Boutique is located at Wright Community Connections, 215 N Main St, in Clarion. Dresses are available year-round; they are also available for adults with a free-will donation. (suggested $25) All funds from the dresses are utilized to purchase tux rentals and other prom related expenses to remove access barriers and ensurethat every student is able to attend prom. Free dress alterations and amendments for students
are provided by long-time Belle of the Ball volunteer, Sally Legleiter. Students may try on dresses during hours, Tuesday through Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-Noon,

or they may make an appointment by contacting 515-293-2911.

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With deep rooted ties and beginnings with the First Lutheran Food Pantry, Hannah Brown, Missy Loux & Miriam Meinke, this is an example of how small acts of kindness can create lasting change. "making sure that
every student who dreams of attending prom has the chance to do so without worrying about the cost of a dress.”

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As the program evolved, began in 2019, a clothing closet and biannual free garage sales to fill a need in the community. In 2022, the clothing program had outgrown it’s space due to the huge outpouring
of community support while a new organization was beginning: The Gift of Giving. The collaboration allowed the food pantry to focus on responding to growing food access needs throughout Wright County while the Gift of Giving provided for other essentials needs like clothing, household supplies, beds for area children, holiday gifts, and so more.

In 2024,  In the summer of 2024, the program was relocated to Wright Community Connections, where Gift of Giving is permanently housed and the food pantry offers also a second location in Clarion. The WCC offers an entire room dedicated to providing the prom dress service, along with more access to shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.

“This is also a continuation of what Belle of the Ball started in 2023, when we began offering dresses to Mom Prom participants for a free-will donation to better support the students.”

The Blessed Boutique is just one building block in a larger mission: to create a community where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has a chance to succeed. When we lift each other up, we build a stronger, more connected Clarion where kindness, generosity, and opportunity are always within reach.