Young boys and girls throughout the state will be able to attend their high school prom this spring without having to spend a single penny on purchasing needed attire thanks to the efforts of Arizona Rotarians.

During the last weekend in March and first weekend in April, The Prom Closet – a project spearheaded by the Peoria North Rotary Club -- will provide formal prom attire to boys and girls at absolutely no charge.

This year’s Prom Closet takes place 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 29-30 and April 5-6 at the Glendale Elementary School District’s System of Care Campus, 7677 W. Bethany Home Road, Glendale. 

All high school teens are invited. There are no financial requirements and no application to be completed. All items are available at absolutely no cost.

The Prom Closet has thousands of formal prom dresses to choose from, as well as shoes and accessories. Thanks to a donation from Mr. Formal Fashions for Men, a variety of suits, shirts, ties and slacks are also available.

The program was initially created 15 years ago by Mary Ann Baker, a founding member and past president of the Peoria North Rotary Club. The Peoria club assumed total oversight of The Prom Closet several years ago and is today supported by volunteer Rotarians from Sun City, Glendale, Surprise and Phoenix.

“It’s really grown into a community-wide project,” said Sharon Jarnagin, a member of the Peoria North Rotary Club and co-chair of this year’s project.

“Not only do we have Rotarians from throughout the Valley, but we have many other residents who have joined on as volunteers – many of whom felt the impact of the program when their sons or daughters visited The Prom Closet in the past.”

Reservations are not needed, however, there may be a short wait depending on the amount of people in attendance. Rotary volunteers accompany students individually through The Prom Closet to assist them with their selections.

Formal attire is only available to students.

The event has steadily grown over the years. Last year, over 600 students from 70 Arizona high schools were served.

Volunteers, too, are needed and welcome. Gina Schmitz, a member of Glendale West Rotary Club, said volunteers are needed not only to help students select their formal attire, but to help with registration, set-up, steaming clothes and more.

“We have short, four-hour shifts and we’ll find a role for anyone who wants to help,” said Ms. Schmitz.

Rotary is an international service club with members throughout the world. Eliminating polio is a major focus of the organization, but other areas of focus include improving literacy, providing sustainable fresh water and helping those in need.

“Rotary’s motto is ‘People of Action,’ and we think The Prom Closet lives up to that credo about as well as anything we can do,” said John Calhoun, president of the Peoria North Rotary Club.

All items – from the dresses to sport coats to shoes – are donated. Club members sort through donations throughout the year and prepare them for the annual spring event.

Clothing donations are currently accepted at several locations throughout the Valley, and monetary donations are also accepted by the club. For more information and a complete list of drop-off sites, visit www.thepromcloset.com.