“It was life changing:” Prom dress giveaway brings tears of joy and smiles to faces
Published 12:07 am Friday, March 28, 2025
From left, Payton Weaks, Josie Nicholas and Heavan Claus hold up the dresses they are waiting to try on. – Karen Kistler
Latonya Roberts, center, helps Iona Smallwood, left and Nazariah Smallwood, find some dresses. – Karen Kistler
Rylee Ritchie, left, and her mom Sarah Dunlap, are all smiles as they hold up the prom dress that Rylee found. – Karen Kistler
Josie Nicholas looks for prom dresses to try on at the event. – Karen Kistler
Jante Gibson-Bryant, right, chats with some of her friends who were volunteering. – Karen Kistler
Volunteer Tamika Flores lends a helping hand to find that perfect dress. – Karen Kistler
Aubrielle Bryant helps her mom, Jante Gibson-Bryant, with the raffle. – Karen Kistler
Volunteers April Honeycutt, left, and Mary Roach searching through some dresses as they help others find that special one. – Karen Kistler
Aida James, one of the vendors, came to support Jante Gibson-Bryant and the cause. — Karen Kistler
Jante Gibson-Bryant, sixth from left, is surrounded by volunteers as they pose for a group photo prior to the start of the event. – Karen Kistler
Karen Kistler
karen.kistler@salisburypost.com
City Park Recreation Center took on the look of a boutique with racks of prom dresses placed throughout the room and along the wall were additional racks of shoes and purses and several tables of jewelry, all donated and all to be given away for free.
The prom dress giveaway event, organized by Jante Gibson-Bryant, was held March 21 during which time, girls who were high school juniors and seniors, could come and search for their prom attire and take it home and be ready for that special event.
Girls started arriving and lined up to come in “well before the event started,” said Gibson-Bryant.
Once registered, they could come and search through the 325 prom dresses that had been donated for this event.
By the end of the day, Gibson-Bryant said they had served about 45 girls, and she decided about 1½ to two hours into it, the girls could take two dresses.
“There were a few who were torn between certain dresses and ended up taking two dresses,” she said.
Rylee Ritchie, a senior at East Rowan High School and her mom, Sarah Dunlap, were at the event and with a dress in hand and a big smile on her face, said she found one, something she didn’t think was going to happen, adding that “this is like a miracle. It’s a dream come true.”
Planning for her prom since she was just five, she said being able to find a dress “is making tiny me cry of joy. I feel like a princess wearing it, and so it’s amazing.”
Dunlap said this was “making me cry too.”
“Thanks to ‘Say Yes to the Prom Dress,’” said Ritchie.
When Josie Nicholas saw all of the dresses at the center, her reaction was that this event was amazing and great.
“It a beautiful thing for the community,” she said, “because sometimes if you’re not on the best financial side, but you still want to participate in the fun things, this is a great opportunity to come out and still be able to participate in those events that you might not have been able to attend like you wanted to.”
Lots of volunteers were on hand to assist in whatever way they could including searching for a dress or providing directions to the dressing rooms which had been made available for them to try it on, the other accessories or helping bag up their special finds.
Gibson-Bryant expressed her thanks for the volunteers saying an event done at this level couldn’t have been done without them.
One of those helpers included third grader Aubrielle Bryant who said her mom let her help the people find dresses.
“It’s really fun helping people find dresses,” she said.
When asked what she liked the most about being there, Aubrielle said she liked it when they tried the dresses on and got jewelry and with a big grin said, “I just like everything here” and added that when she got older she would like to do an event like that one.
Volunteer Donna Thomas said she was excited to be there.
“I think this is awesome to be able to give back to the girls who may not be able to do this otherwise, so I’m so excited,” she said “I thank God for putting this on her heart to do.”
Crystal Bennermon, who was helping at the jewelry tables and had donated some items herself for the occasion, said she loves what Gibson-Bryant is doing.
“God places stuff on her heart for the community, and she does it,” she said.
Seeing this vision come together and watching the girls arrive and search for a dress “means a lot,” said Bennermon, “because some people can’t afford getting new dresses so they miss out, so it does mean a lot.”
Multiple volunteers could be seen intently searching through the racks helping someone find that special dress.
Tamika Flores said she was trying to help pull some dresses for a young lady to look at and being able to lend a helping hand meant the world to her.
Having an event like this, she said, “on this grand scale, is huge. Prom dresses can be a lot of money, but just to be part of it is just awesome.”
April Honeycutt and Mary Roach came to volunteer and said they were helping anyone in the community who needed assistance at the giveaway event.
Once the girls had found some dresses they liked, it was time to try them on. The line stretched across the room to do just that. Patiently waiting to get to one of the dressing rooms, they talked with friends and family. When the girls came out with the dress on to see themselves in the mirror, you could hear the excitement throughout the room.
“I firmly believe that this event was life changing not based on just on what I experienced but what they experienced, what they told me, what they heard, the camaraderie. There was a lot of cheering on, a lot of praise that was going on. It was a very profound event,” said Gibson-Bryant.
One of the attendees commented to Gibson-Bryant about all the details that were a part of the event including having the dressing rooms and large mirror, but for her details are very important, she said.
“When a lot of people hear ‘free event,’ I don’t think they necessarily think excellent,” which she said she found out when she was first telling people about the prom dress giveaway. However, she wanted to make sure that every detail was taken care of, adding that “my desire was to give an experience.”
Gibson-Bryant also said she places great emphasis on prayer and made sure those attending knew that if they needed prayer, they could ask the volunteers or her to pray for them.
In addition to praying with the girls, she interacted with them as she shared about two who arrived, neither smiling, but she started bantering with them about not smiling and telling them how pretty they were.
One of the girls began to smile, but the other still did not; however, she said, she noticed them as they were leaving and she had a smile on her face. She went and told her, “I see you smiling now, and her smile widened” plus Gibson-Bryant has a picture of them together.
A friend, who was volunteering that day, shared a comment about something she observed, a comment that Gibson-Bryant said was very profound.
She said she “watched so much shame walk into the door and so much joy walked out.”
It was life changing, Gibson-Bryant shared, adding that she is excited to say she will offer it again next year and looks forward to providing it for years to come, anticipating that it will grow.
In addition to the dresses and accessories, each of the girls received a goodie bag, and there were drawings for raffle items plus food was available and a photo booth provided an opportunity to capture the moment.
Several vendors were on hand including Aida James who was selling some travel merchandise. A friend of Gibson-Bryant, James said she felt it was important to be there because she supports everything that she does. So she came to support her and the cause.
“She is a wonder for the community and for young women,” said James, “and so, ever since I met her, and have seen and felt her vision, whatever she needs and she asks, I’m there.”
Gibson-Bryant said she had some dresses left over from this giveaway, and she plans on continuing to collect dresses for the prom event and for a new venture she is launching called The Radiance Closet.
“The Radiance Closet,” she said, “is going to be a clothing closet for formal wear,” which will also be completely free.
Not wanting it to be a “use and abuse type situation,” she said that ladies will have two opportunities per year to get a dress, by appointment only.
This new event is also a part of Awakenher Wellness organization, she said, going alongside the women’s empowerment initiative that she has.
Those interested in learning more about the new venture or donating dresses, can email Gibson-Bryant at jante@awakenherwellness.com.
