B.C. teenager chooses charity over spending on prom

A Burnaby high school student is giving up the glitz and glamour of prom, choosing instead to give the money to charity.

17-year-old Hanna Choisat down in early August and realized she would have to spend over $650 on prom.

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"I felt a little vain spending that much on myself," she said.

She says growing up in Vancouver, she realized that the money could be better spent on people.

"I've had a classmate who couldn't afford a meal, a homeless man begging outside a SkyTrain station,"

The money raised through her project,My Prom to End Poverty,will go to the Union Gospel Mission.

Choi is set to graduate fromBurnabySouth Secondary School this year.

She says her friends have been very supportive and are helping her raise money.

As for prom, she is borrowing a dress and having a friend do her hair.

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To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelledB.C. teenager gives up prom to give to charitywiththe CBC's Rick Cluff onThe Early Edition.