Say I Do Bridal Boutique, the formal dress store in the center of Verona, has stepped up in a big way to support two VHS students’ drive to give girls in Appalachia the fancy dresses of their dreams. The boutique, which was opened by long-time Verona resident Adrienne Castellano in 2012, donated 25 dresses to the dress drive organized by Chloe Mathewson and Alena Gabbe.
Last year, the pair collected more than 300 fancy dresses and accessories that they then donated to girls in an an Appalachian town that they had gotten to know on a mission trip through the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit.
Mathewson marveled at Castellano’s generosity. “She just said she wishes we had come to her last year too and she wanted to support the cause,” Mathewson said.
If you have fancy dresses or accessories to pass along there is still time to help. The students are looking for donations of prom dresses, Communion dresses, Easter dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and other semi-formal/formal dresses, as well as formal shoes and clutches. All donations must be clean and put in a dry cleaning bag with the size clearly marked. All lengths and sizes will be accepted.
You can drop your donations off at VHS at the dress rack in the lobby until Wednesday, February 26, or put them in the donation bin in the Church of the Holy Spirit parking lot at 36 Gould Street.
