Clothing ministry holds prom dress giveaway for Medina County girls in need

BRUNSWICK — Woven with Promise gave away prom dresses and accessories like purses, jewelry and shoes for free to Medina County teenage girls in need on Saturday. Woven with Promise is a clothing ministry in Brunswick that offers free clothing and other types of products to women and children in the area. First Baptist Church Medina lent the ministry the space in order to hold Saturday's giveaway. Executive Director of Woven with Promise Denise Walsh said 68 dresses were given out on Saturday. Members of the community donated their gently used items prior to the event. "Some of the women that brought dresses in and handed them to me, they were very attached to those dresses that had been their daughter's," executive board member Kathy Mohr said. "One lady even took pictures of the dress before she handed it to me because it was that special to her. I think that they're giving up a piece of what they did with their own daughters to bless another girl." The event was set up like a boutique with racks of clothing, tables filled with accessories and try-on areas. Walsh said the ministry also provided goodie bags, refreshments, opportunities for prayer and a raffle which allowed a student to win two tickets to their prom. "Some of the girls and their moms just cried at the fact that they were going to be able to go to prom in a beautiful dress because they truly were beautiful," Mohr said. "We just treated them special and helped them in any way we could." Going to prom can be very expensive, and some families do not have that extra money, Mohr said. The organizers said it was a wonderful experience being able to take away that financial hardship for these families. "We had one mom who came, and she very clearly said to us that her daughters would not have been able to attend prom had it not been for this ministry," Walsh said. However, the program is about so much more than just a dress, Walsh said. "It's about promoting that positive self-image and confidence in young teen girls based on their identity in Christ and their inner beauty," she said. There will be another giveaway on April 1 at the ministry on 1330 North Carpenter Road. The giveaway is for those who will be attending St. Ambrose's coming prom for teenagers with special needs. Woven with Promise is still accepting prom donations through the end of March, Walsh said. For more information on future giveaways and donations, visit its Facebook page at bit.ly/41xKfEk. "I think that Medina is a very, very, very giving community and county," Mohr said. "I really appreciate the way they come after their own like that, and they really help people out." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.