As the new interns of BigHouse, we were thrilled to be a part of the third annual Glitz Glam & Gowns event! This year, we had the crazy idea to take GGG on the road to five separate cities across the state, in hopes of reaching as many girls as possible. For those of you who don’t know, Glitz Glam & Gowns is a free shopping event for teen girls in foster care to receive items for prom. We collected over 700 formal dresses for the girls to choose from, as well as shoes, jewelry, and other prom accessories. We also provided a cosmetic “goody bag” for each girl filled with lip gloss, eye makeup, nail polish, perfume samples, and other beauty items. We had a blast putting the bags together, and really enjoyed giving the bags to each girl. We even searched through over 50 bags to find the perfect nail polish shade to match some of the dresses that the girls had picked.
BigHouse hits the road. Thanks Harvest Thrift Store for letting us borrow the trailer!
Over 700 dresses donated!
Our first stop was Montgomery on March 4th. Frazer United Methodist Church let us use their bridal suite for our event. The area could not have been more perfect for Glitz Glam & Gowns! There were two large bathrooms where girls were able to try on dresses and massive full length mirrors. Two women from Mary Kay volunteered to give the girls makeovers once they had finished shopping. All 18 girls left with a dress and other accessories. Two social workers had brought girls from 2 counties in south Alabama, each driving over 2 hours to bring them to the event. We admire their dedication! One of the workers took her 9 girls out to a nice dinner in their dresses. They also spent time taking glamour shots. They looked beautiful and we got an email the next day that they had a fantastic time!
Mary Kay consultants offer their expertise.
Red carpet entry (the stars had the girls' names on them).
Getting ready for a special night!
On Thursday, March 6th we headed north to Calhoun County. First Baptist Church Jacksonville hosted the event, and their college . We had 14 girls attend this event, including one group home. We enjoyed working with the girls from group homes because they were able to help their friends pick dresses, as well as get opinions from more people than just the volunteers. There were several college students that volunteered with hair and makeup. Although the weather was nasty, we had a great time and the stop was a success! However, we learned the hard way that prom dresses drag through puddles easily! A member of their congregation paid for us to stay at a hotel in town, which was such a treat.
Just a few shoes!
Each girl enjoyed special treatment from the volunteers.
The lovely ladies of engageJSU that gave their time and talents.
Friday morning we traveled on to Huntsville. Latham United Methodist Church in Huntsville hosted the event that night. We had a great time at this stop, due to lots of volunteers and a huge selection of delicious food. Although we only had 9 girls shop at this event, social workers and parents were able to shop for some additional girls who did not attend the event. We were also able to find homes for our two incredibly large princess dresses! We were thrilled to see how beautiful the girls looked in their dresses. We even had a volunteer to do alternations on the dresses, which was a huge help. The pastor and his wife were generous enough to offer their home for us to stay at for the night. They even made us a delicious breakfast! One of the volunteers
wrote about her experience on her blog.
Adorable decorations and delicious food!
Girls had an opportunity to pick out polish to match their dress.
The last leg of the trip was Northpark Baptist in Trussville. We had a great turnout with 20 girls in attendance. We enjoyed this venue because the girls modeled almost every dress they tried on for us. Our red carpet turned into a catwalk! It was also fun getting to reunite with past BigHouse interns. Overall, we were able to provide over 50 girls with formal dresses and other accessories. We had a great week off for Spring Break and are now ready to round out the tour with our Auburn event in two weeks!
Birmingham shoppers.
Showing off her dress.
Allison trying to stow away back to BigHouse!
Thanks to everyone who donated to this event, coordinated volunteers at our various locations, helped with lodging, and spent time with the girls showing them that they are loved by their community! We couldn't do this without you!
Written by Emily Jennings and Ashley Scott,
BH interns Spring 2014
