Nonprofit Offers Free Prom Dresses To Students

DENVER (CBS4) - It's currently the middle of prom season, and the dresses can be expensive and not everyone can afford one. With that in mind, programs across Colorado and the country are helping girls get the dress of their dreams.

Every dress at Bella Boutique in Denver is free.

"All of our dresses are donated from generous community members. Sometimes stores occasionally will have leftover inventory and pass those along to us," said Tia Hunsperger, Bella Boutique founder.

Racks of dresses hold so much promise for girls like high school senior Andrea Maldonado.

"I just want to stand out from everybody else and look unique in my own dress," Maldonado said.

She's attending her senior prom at the end of May, but buying a fancy dress was out of the question because her mother, Eda Ulloa, struggles to raise five children by herself.

"I never want them to feel like … that they can't have what other children have; be it a simple dress, tuxedo, shoes -- it's hard," Ulloa said.

That's why groups like Bella Boutique, a nonprofit organization, wants to make sure that every teenager doesn't miss prom just because they can't afford to buy a dress.

"Sometimes the volunteers and I are in tears. Sometimes their mom or whoever has brought them along … we have some teary moments sometimes. It's pretty sweet," Hunsperger said.

Bella Boutique has doubled the number of girls to 137 they've helped this year. The teens are referred to them from teachers and school counselors.

LINK: Bella Boutique