AACC students can donate their used prom dresses to Anne Arundel County high school students who can’t afford to buy dresses of their own.

Throughout May, members of AACC’s Student Ambassador Program are collecting used prom dresses and money for tuxedo rentals.

Student ambassador Sarah Wesdyk, a senior at Broadneck High School and a Jump Start student at AACC, said she helped set up the event.

“It’s going to be hosted through AACC but will impact so many people in the communities around the school,” said Wesdyk.

Wesdyk said the ambassadors originally planned to have a formal end-of-semester event as a way to make second use of their prom dresses.

But the Jump Start students among them “knew girls who couldn’t even go to prom because they didn’t have enough money,” Wesdyk said.

According to Wesdyk, once the ambassadors begin collecting the dresses, high schoolers who need them can email their requests to Heather McFarland, the faculty adviser for the ambassador program, at hmmcfarland@aacc.edu, to specify what size and color they want and receive photos of available dresses.

“We’re hoping to get a lot of dresses,” Wesdyk said. “We want to help as many people as we can.”

Donated dresses will be cleaned if needed, but ambassadors request that people donate them already clean and in good condition.

“I wear my dress maybe once a year, but all of my friends complain how there’s no use for their dresses,” Kimberly Mae, a first-year history student, said. “I think this donation drive is a great idea.”

Wesdyk said they will also be holding the prom donation drive next year, and that she hopes the ambassadors can “branch out” to other counties and high schools.

“A lot of people are looking forward to [prom], and I would hate for the reason for someone to not go is by not affording it,” Wesdyk said.