Say Yes to the Dress: Visalia’s Enchanted Prom Dress Giveaway

By Chloe Falcon-Barros and Liliana Madrigal

On Saturday, April 13, students and the founders of the organization share their experience of picking prom dresses!

With prom coming up, students all over Tulare Kings County are prepared for prom. However, some students still need a dress, so with the help of a mother and daughter duo, students can find their enchanted dress.

*Laura Freitas holding one of many donated dresses/EnchantedEveningDress*

Enchanted Evening is an organization that Laura and Melissa Freitas founded. Their mission is to ensure that juniors and seniors can attend their high school prom without worrying about the expense of a dress and accessories.

Melissa, the daughter of Laura, says, “Back in 2008, my boss had an idea of doing this for girls, so she asked me to help her, and we grew this together. The need is so big in our community in Tulare Kings County, there’s such a need. I have daughters myself; I have three girls so I know the struggle of purchasing a dress, jewelry, etc.”

Laura the mom says, “We know how expensive they are, and there’s a lot of students that can’t afford prom dresses and we want every student to feel like they can dress up too.”

*Melissa Freitas holding one of many donated dresses/EnchantedEveningDress*

Many girls find it challenging to attend prom, as they are unable to afford an expensive dress. However, with the help of a mother-daughter duo, this challenge is no longer a problem.

They are both dedicated to making prom accessible to all students, regardless of their financial situation. Girls can now attend prom with confidence and style because the organization provides free fashionable dresses.

*Kimberly Frias ’24 Granite High School*/chloefalcon

Kimberly Frias ‘24, who goes to Granite High School in Porterville, shares why she believes the dress giveaway is important.

Frias says, “This is cool because I heard about it last year but I didn’t go to prom. I think this is cool because not a lot of people have the chance to go to prom—I know my friends struggle to buy a dress, especially online. So this is a good opportunity to go in-store and look for dresses in person.”

Grand Hills High School student, Sofia Lemus ‘24 shares the type of dress style she was looking for. She says, “I’m looking for a Roaring 20s like the Great Gatsby because that’s our theme this year for our problem.”

*Sofia Lemus ‘24Grand Hills High School/chloefalcon*

Because of all the different kinds of dresses provided by the Enchanted Evening organization, girls can choose from simple themes to expressive themes!

Adrianna Baeza ‘25 who goes to Strathmore High School in Strathmore then adds, “It’s special to me because it’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime thing to go to prom. So I wanted to be able to do it.”