Princesses made at OHuddle dress sale

Thanks to a Wayne County youth mentorship program, young people are invited to shop and browse for their prom dress locally and at a discounted rate.

The third annual OHuddle (Odyssey-Huddle) Fiery Godmother Dress Sale, featuring more than 900 gowns in various sizes, styles and colors, will be held Saturday, Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 621 College Ave., Wooster. Some new and some gently used dresses will be arranged by color, coded by size and cost between $35-$150, explained Sara Reith, executive director and founder of OHuddle Inc.

“OHuddle is excited to announce that our annual Fiery Godmother Dress Boutique is back for its third year, and we are lighting things up as we match our event to the OHuddle brand with a new name,” Reith said. “Our event will now be known as the Fiery Godmother Dress Boutique.

“This fundraiser draws patrons from various counties and will benefit mentorship sustainability at the Wayne County Schools Career Center. This opportunity to purchase a reasonably priced gown for prom or an upcoming event is open to the public. OHuddle mentees are gifted a gown in their junior and senior years of high school.”

Reith said OHuddle is a school-based one-on-one mentorship program where young people working with a mentor benefit from programs such as access to school-based service, after-school field trips and service coordination through the nonprofit organization.

“OHuddle matches school-nominated students and adult volunteer mentors with the vision of empowering every child to thrive and enrich their community,” she said. “Fiery Godmothers started as an event for only nominated OHuddle mentees to receive a ball gown for their prom, which was informed by reports of need from our mentors. Three years ago we expanded to a dress sale so the public could also benefit and we could leverage the many dresses donated to help sustain mentorship programming for the career center.”

The mentors and mentees form strong bonds throughout the many months they work together in the program, and prior to the beginning of the dress sale, many of those advisers advocated for their junior and senior youth to be able to access dresses for prom, which is what led to the creation of the dress event.

“Prom is a rite of passage, and we are passionate about every young person being able to attend if they desire to do so,” Reith said. “The first Godmother Boutique took place in 2017 and was open only to youth involved in the OHuddle program. Three years ago we were blessed with so many donations that the boutique could be open to the public.”

Dress donations are still being accepted for the event. If interested in donating a gently used or never-been-worn gown, they may be dropped off at People to People Ministries, 454 E. Bowman St., Wooster, during regular business hours. This event could not be made possible without OHuddle’s established partnership with Orrville Mother’s Study IV and additional area sponsors, Reith said.

Anyone interested in more ways to support OHuddle is invited to attend an online new mentor orientation, which happens monthly. They also are held in Wooster at the OHuddle House. Registration can be found at www.ohuddle.org, then click Be A Mentor to sign up.

“We want every young person to feel celebrated by a huddle around them,” Reith said. “This is one of our favorite events. We love the smiles and hope generated by finding a gown that makes someone feel beautiful.”