“Basically you just bring your dresses from now until Friday, and we take all the dresses and put them into sizes, and then on Saturday at the Hampton Inn, girls can come and eat food, listen to music, and try on any dresses they want to,” Anisha said.

Dresses were brought during lunch to Mrs. Kinnard’s office or picked up by the Srivastavas or Prendergast the Thursday and Friday before the event. Over 100 dresses were collected
The Dress Exchange for Change will be at the Hampton Inn on 830 West Stacey Road, Allen on Saturday, September 22 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The entrance fee for the event is $5, while renting a dress is an additional $40, and can be returned dry cleaned any time after homecoming.
“It costs about $30 to fully cover a child’s living costs for an entire month, so by making renting a dress $40 a piece, we not only support a child for a month, but the extra $10 goes towards a t-shirt that says ‘Instead of buying a HOCO dress, I saved a life’ to be worn the Friday before homecoming,” Srivastava said.
According to Srivastava, the dress exchange has more than one purpose.

“We knew that Lovejoy girls usually spend anywhere from $60 to $200 for a dress they might not wear anymore than once, so the exchange is really giving girls an opportunity to both save a life and save some money and time for homecoming,” Srivastava said. “It’s time efficient and cost effective for all the people that participate.”

The fundraiser is designed to benefit the charity and the girls that decide to come, a reason why many plan to show up to the event.

“I heard about the organization and I thought it was a really cool thing to be a part of, so I decided to help in any way I could,” senior Anna Ellison said. “I’m going to go early and set up, and if I happen to find a dress, that would be really cool too.”

Senior Alex Miller agrees.

“I’m going to support my best friend and all the children this organization will benefit,” Miller said.