Sperry Nonprofit Ensures All Sperry Teens Get To Enjoy Prom

One nonprofit organization is making sure nothing gets in the way of the perfect prom night for some Sperry teens. 

Prom Wishes Inc. has been providing free prom dresses for girls who can't afford their own for 16 years.

Wednesday is the first day of prom season for the organization and a few young ladies are already picking out their perfect dress.

Sarah Bridgeman, Prom Wishes Inc. president, has been working with Prom Wishes Inc. for five years.  

"I can't wait to see their smiles when they put on a dress and look in the mirror," Bridgeman said. 

The non-profit offers free dresses to girls who might not be able to go to prom because of expenses. 

"A lot of them come in with their head down and they just have no confidence and then they come in here and they put on a dress, something, you know, that they have never put on their body before and like I said, look in the mirror and their eyes light up and their face lights up and they actually feel pretty," Bridgeman said. 

The girls walk into a room full of dresses and get paired with a high school student.

Together, the girls go through the shop and try on dresses until they find "the one."

Then the girls get to pick the perfect shoes and jewelry to complete their outfit. 

But their day isn't finished after that.

"In addition to that, I don't just give them a dress, I talk to them about confidence, believing in themselves," Bridgeman said. 

And for Bridgeman, this is the most important part of the experience. 

"You are beautiful, and it doesn't matter what is on the outside, it matters what's on the inside," she said.  

So these girls wind up leaving with much more than a dress.

They leave with messages of encouragement, not just from Bridgeman, but other girls their own age.

"Sometimes the girls that come here, they have never been told these words. You never know when one thing that you say is gonna stick with somebody," she said. 

Thanks to donations from the community, each of the girls who received dresses are also getting their hair done for free on prom night. 

For more information about Prom Wishes, Inc., visit their website.