About Us
In 2008 The Giving Gown Foundation began as an outreach to provide a Prom Boutique experience for 85 teen girls who face challenging financial circumstances. With the support of voluntary board members and Houston area-wide philanthropic organizations and individuals, we have grown into an annual event that serves 1000 attendees each year.
As a non-profit 501(c)3 community service organization that receives monetary and in-kind donations from generous sponsors and organizations; We can provide prom gowns, accessories, meals, swag bags, and an empowerment workshop for our Prom Boutique attendees free of charge. While the girls may focus on their dress, we are focused on empowering them by showing grace and love for being themselves. Our purpose is an experience for the heart, and our girls walk away with more than a dress!
GOWN DONATIONS:
We accept new and “like-new” gowns appropriate for Prom, year round.
Two easy dress drop off locations:
Drop off gowns at Bammel Church of Christ located at 2700 Cypress Creek Pkwy Houston TX 77068
OR at any Houston area Tide Dry Cleaners, just tell them it’s for GGF!
*We DO NOT accept wedding dresses or casual dresses*
Questions about gown donations? Contact inventory@givinggown.org
OUR STORY
The Giving Gown story began in 2007. After learning about sister organizations providing teenage girls with everything they need to attend their formal events, JoAnn Trchalek was moved. She thought this would be an incredible way to serve girls in her local community of Houston, Texas. Together with her co-founder, Adina Walker, she began to make plans to provide a prom outreach that supplies all the prom necessities for girls – FREE of charge. What began as an outreach to just under 100 girls has grown to an annual weekend of over 500! JoAnn and Adina thought of everything to make this day so special. The Boutique Day ballroom is laced with beauty and grace. From the pink fairy godmother aprons to Giving Gown’s dress inventory of over 8,000 dresses, it is something you really have to see to believe.
While driving through Houston in early 2009, the local Christian radio station KSBJ introduced Ashley Atnip to the incredible work of Giving Gown. She instantly wanted to be involved in the work God was doing with this organization. When the Giving Gown Foundation needed a host for their event, her local church stepped up to provide a permanent home for Boutique Day. Although JoAnn and Adina have now turned over Giving Gown to a different group of women, they are still big cheerleaders for the vision they had many years ago. Because they followed through with their dream, thousands of teenage girls in the Houston area experience an unconditional love on Boutique Day that is hard to put into words. The new team finds an incredible amount of joy in seeing this vision through.
Although we LOVE dresses at Giving Gown, we love these girls more. The heart of this organization is about so much more than a dress. At the core of Giving Gown is a group of women who believe every teenage girl deserves to feel loved and celebrated just for being who she is—no strings attached. We realize that different life experiences often make it difficult for a family to afford the extras, and Giving Gown wants to help! On Boutique Day, each young lady is paired with a fairy godmother. The princess is then whisked away to choose a gown, shoes, and jewelry for her special day. We even have seamstresses on hand to help with alterations. These women are able to provide the extra stitch to make the gown fit just right. We are also able to provide a lovely lunch for our princesses and guests in our Boutique Day Café. The most important aspect of our event is our Empowerment Workshop where girls learn about real beauty. These precious girls come for a dress but leave with so much more! We believe in empowering girls, one dress at a time.
Our volunteers are at the heart of this organization. Many of us can remember a time when we may have needed something, but the money was just not there. At Giving Gown, we truly believe that serving others brings about a joy that cannot be found in anything else. When you walk in to the boutique, the volunteers are smiling just as much as the princesses. We value our opportunity to bring such an incredible, life-giving volunteer experience to the Houston community. We simply cannot do this without the hearts of the great people of Houston, Texas.
There might just be a place for you in our story. If you are a business owner, seamstress, baker, organizer, or simply have a smile to share with a teenage girl, you could fit perfectly in the story we are writing. We would love to hear from you.
2023-2024 board of directors & Leadership Team
President | Bobbi Jo Miller, president@givinggown.org Vice President | Cindy Schott vicepresident@givinggown.org
Secretary | Melissa Flowers, secretary@givinggown.org
Treasurer | Kelly England, treasurer@givinggown.org
Boutique Director | Melissa Flowers, boutique@givinggown.org Fundraising Director | Jeniffer Holland, fundraising@givinggown.org
Inventory Director | Jennifer Goodwin, inventorydirector@givinggown.org
Registration Director | Cindy Schott, registration@givinggown.org Scholarship Director | Bobbi Jo Miller scholarship@givinggown.org Volunteer Director | Ann Marie Reigrut, volunteer@givinggown.org
Advisor to the Board | Cassie Miller, advisor@givinggown.org Boutique Coordinator | Rachel Briones Empowerment Coordinators | Geovanna Burgess White, Yvette Valdenegro Inventory Coordinators | Jennifer Babb, Suzanne Hoff, Linda Jacobs, Rachel Briones inventory@givinggown.org Period Poverty Coordinator | Atalie Anderson, periodpoverty@givinggown.org Swag Bag Coordinators | Megan Kinnel-Dooley , Brandi Sublatara Marketing Intern | Stella Morales Registration Intern | Spencer Shott Social Media Intern | Lila Saenz