Students from across Chicago receive free prom attire at ‘Prom Fit’ event

CHICAGO – An organization designed over a decade ago to help students with prom expenses collaborated with dozens of volunteers Saturday to make students’ dreams come true.

Like many students prepping for prom, Curie High School senior Alondra Lorenzana had some anxiety about getting everything together, but after attending a prom giveaway called “Prom Fit,” where everything is free, she’s feeling great.

“The whole graduating is a whole process. You have to get your grades, you have to get this, you have to get that, but it’s also about celebrating and just having a piece of the progress definitely relieves a lot of stress,” Lorenzana said.

Students from across the city were invited to come out to Instituto del Progreso Latino in Pilsen. The nonprofit partnered with Project Embrace to coordinate the event.

“We are honored to walk with families during this really exciting time and we’re walking away with a lot of smiles and full hearts,” President and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino Karina Ayala-Bermejo said.

Juana Ballesteros started Project Embrace nearly 15 years ago after hearing about students skipping prom because of money.

“Throughout the years, we’ve collected at least 3,000 to 4,000 dresses. We started out with dressed, but in recent years we are obviously offering suits, ties,” Ballesteros said.

In addition to picking out a prom dress or suit, students also went home with a less formal outfit, shoes and accessories.

“I’ve never seen events like this that are like free to everybody and like be able to take so many things,” high school senior Genesis Herrera said. “I found like all my dresses here for prom, graduation and luncheon.”

Although he’s got a few years to go until prom, soon-to-be eighth grade graduate Erick Munoz, as aspiring mechanical engineer, found a suit for graduation.

“There was a lot of people here today helping us and it was just a great experience,” he said.

Along with getting everything together for prom, Lorenzana said one of the volunteers helping here shared valuable insight that could help shape her future.

“She went to Wisconsin-Madison. That’s one of the colleges I’m considering. I think after talking to her and learning about her experience I definitely think I might want to go to that one,” Lorenzana said.