SAN ANTONIO – Racks of fancy dresses with sparkly rhinestones, lace and satin fill a room at Ashley Johnson's house with a burst of color. It's the stuff teenage girls dream of, and Johnson is making those dreams come true.
As founder of Project Prom Dress San Antonio, she provides gently used dresses and gowns to girls who are challenged to afford one.
When she began the program last year, she collected a few dozen dresses. Now, she has nearly 600.
"Little ol' me thought, 'Oh, I'll get a few dresses here and there,'" Johnson said. "It's so huge and overwhelming, but I'm grateful it has grown to what it is now."
Johnson has extended the deadline for applicants through the end of March. Girls wishing to choose a dress from the collection must be a high school junior or senior and have a financial need. They can apply online at projectpromdresssa.org.
In addition to dresses, sizes 0 through 26, accessories like shoes, handbags and jewelry have also been donated by individuals and businesses.
It is a time-consuming process for Johnson, a working mother of six. But she is motivated by her own memories of having to work part-time to help her single mother pay for a fancy prom dress.
Now, she simply wants to help families who can't afford the frills expenses of prom.
"A lot of them don't get dressed up or go to an event where they can have a pretty dress like this," she said.
She sees prom as a milestone in a young girl's life, and she doesn't want anyone to miss out because she has nothing to wear.
"It gives you a sense of pride that you are able to help people," she said.
Project Prom Dress San Antonio accepts donations of gently used dresses throughout the year.