Providing Fashion for Free

Prom is a rite of passage for many high school students, but a super-chic dress may be out of reach for some girls. That’s precisely why Academy of the Holy Angels junior Lily Cossio of Tenafly decided to host a Prom Dress Drive. Cossio collected gently-used formal dresses, both long and short, so girls in a nearby community would be able to select a fabulous dress at no cost.

Cossio developed the idea for the drive and initiated the partnership between AHA Campus Ministry and the National Association of Cuban American Women. She explained that NACAW is a Union City-based non-profit where she has volunteered since she was very young. Her project coincided with AHA’s celebration of International Week (March 11-15), the Academy’s annual celebration of diversity.

“This project is really important to me because I want to give back to my community,” Cossio said. “Union City has a very vibrant Cuban community, and being that I am half Cuban, and many of my family members and friends live in Union City, I’d love to help Union City High School.” She added, “I was inspired by other prom dress drives run in Bergen County in partnership with Oasis (a Paterson-based non-profit for women and children), and thought that the community at AHA should be involved in a project like this! I knew that NACAW would be the perfect partner due to its close ties with Union City.

“I have volunteered with NACAW’s annual Three Kings Day Celebration, gathering toy donations to distribute in a fun celebration of Hispanic culture in January,” Cossio said, adding that the Prom Dress Drive was something new for her. “This is the first time I have spearheaded a drive, and used social media and collaborated with other businesses as collection centers to generate interest and reach beyond my school community.”

In all, Cossio collected 162 dresses, including 73 that were donated by the AHA community, and 89 from Tenafly, Hoboken, and the surrounding area. A Hoboken real estate agency helped her advertise her project and served as a collection point. Cossio and her mom will now transport the dresses to NACAW, and Union City High School students will then have the opportunity to choose their dream dresses.

Cossio said she developed many of the skills she needed to execute her Prom Dress Drive during her three years with AHA’s DECA program. This international organization fosters positive competition and growth among young leaders and entrepreneurs.

“DECA has helped me understand marketing, advertising, and building relationships with others to further a cause — all skills which I have found indispensable in organizing this drive.”

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from many cultural and religious backgrounds. AHA’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.