Dartmouth store owner making sure Fort Mac grads get their special prom

It's an event that teenagers look forward to for years.

A Dartmouth store owner wantsto make sureteens in Fort McMurray don't miss out on their chance to get all dressed up for prom.

Tracey Dooley, the owner of the Wedding Place, heard there was a need for gowns after thousands of families left everything behind as they fled the Fort McMurray wildfire.

"I remember when I picked out my prom dress, and how I felt on that day and how special I felt in it," she said.

800 gowns needed

Dooley decided to donate more than 40, but quickly discovered that was nowhere near enough.

"When we heard there was going to be 800 graduates, we said, 'OK that's not even going to start to touch the bucket,'" she said.

Dooley put a call out to her customers and friends asking for donations of used dresses. She's collecting them at her Dartmouth and Charlottetown locations.

A way to help

While dresses might seem like a small contribution to the emergency, Dooley says it will give the teens something to look forward to.

"A lot of girls want to help and they don't know how they don't have it in their budget so this is a way they can help," she said.

Fixing them up

Dooley points outmost dresses are only worn once, so they're generally in excellent condition.

Still, she's checking each dress,making sure any repairs are completed, and getting them cleaned before shipping them to Alberta.

Another company has volunteered to covershipping costs.

First shipment

Dooley is asking people to act quickly, the first batch is set to be sent after the store closes on Saturday.

She says volunteers in Alberta are putting donated dresses in one location so grads can "shop" with their friends, so she wants to make sure they arrive on time.

Need continues

But Dooley will continue to collect donations after that.

"The girls are still going to have financial problems next year," she said. "So I'm sure there are going to be 800 grads still in need of a dress."

The Wedding Place is located at the former Always and Forever store on Main Street in Dartmouth.