An annual boutique began in the Levittown School District’s MacArthur High School in 2017, as teachers came together to give away donated prom dresses.
Social worker Maria Miceli came up with the idea to make the event district-wide, which has expanded to what it is today.
The Levittown Dress Boutique provided over 170 students with free dresses for events of their choosing on Thursday, March 27.
The event is now held in the Panther Room of the Levittown Memorial Education Center, where students can choose from rows of dresses and accessories.
Miceli and Lisa Dimitri, another organizer of the event and social worker in the district, said that any student in the district can pick out a dress, not just for prom, but for any occasion that they need.
The two organizers both said it was special to help those in the district.
“Knowing that you helped somebody and you made a difference is just special,” Dimitri said.
“You’re just so moved and touched that you could be part of helping them find something where they feel like a princess or special or just feel right about themselves,” Miceli said.
All of the dresses are donated to the boutique. Jovani provided 175 dresses this year. Dana Vlahos, a regional Sephora store manager, also donated makeup and organized a multi-store collection of dresses and accessories.
The boutique also featured live music and a raffle that all students in attendance were able to freely enter.
Dimitri and Miceli are two of eight members of the Dress Boutique Committee who help set up and organize the event each year. They said that more than 30 volunteers helped set up and run the event this year.
“We do not waste all the help we can get,” Miceli said. “We even have students in our cosmetology program come up and help decorate. We have our ADA program students come and help put things on hangers. We take any kind of input.”
Dimitri said that the whole event is about giving back to the community.
“One of the nice things that we see over the years is just the appreciation, and a lot of times they’ll be like, how can we help out?” she said. “One of the things that we’ve seen over the years is they will donate their dresses back the next year or help with the drives themselves. It’s a way to give back.”
They also said that parents are very appreciative of the boutique as it is a way for them to avoid the costs of going out and buying these items.
