Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 9-10-19

Local
‘Gowns For HER’ Gives Prom Dresses To Girls
Burgess School Of
The Arts To Host End Of
Summer Performing
Arts Celebration
With Homecoming events coming up, now is the time to get your evening gown.
Some girls don’t attend prom and homecoming be- cause they do not have the re- sources to purchase the most important item of that evening, the gown. “Gowns for HER” is changing that for girls across Texas, and now in Tampa, Florida.
“Gowns for HER” is a nonprofit organization that started in the living room apartment of Apolonia Pacheco in Texarkana, Texas, with only three gowns, in June of 2017 after relocat- ing there.
Apolonia’s desire was to help girls who are under- served in local communities to receive gowns at no cost to them. Since the conception, “Gowns for Her” has grown and has expanded to serving 4 cities in Texas (Houston, San Antonio, Texarkana, and Austin) and its newest ven- ture, Tampa. “Gowns for HER” not only provides a gown at no cost, but also pro- vides new makeup, shoes, ac- cessories, evening purses and shawls.
As a young lady, Apolo- nia Pacheco was raised by her grandparents with lim- ited resources. She often found it challenging to attend formal school events due to lack of financial constraints. This often led to her borrow- ing gowns from friends. This is why she decided to become a resource for the local com- munity so that other young girls did not have to experi- ence what she went through growing up.
a burning passion to see lives changed and transformed. She is over excited to bring her program “Home” for Homecoming.
On Saturday, Septem- ber 14, 2019 from 9 a. m. –12p.m.atKingHigh School (Gymnasium), “Gowns for HER” will hold its first community event in Tampa, providing gowns and evening appropriate items at no cost.
No proof of income is nec- essary to qualify for a prom dress donation. An ID will be required to enter, however.
“It’s all about making a difference and helping those girls who are really under- served who have the desire to go but can’t go because of fi- nances,” Mrs. Pacheco said.
“Gowns for HER” is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information on the giveaways or where to make financial contributions or donate gowns and goods, or services for the partici- pants, contact Mrs. Pacheco at 813-385-6273 or email gownsforher@gmail.co m. Feel free to visit their web- site at: www.gownsforher. com.
Follow them on Facebook at: Gowns for HER and on Instagram: Gownsforher01.
BY SORAYA K. ROUSE
Come celebrate the end of summer with the Burgess School of the Arts, Saturday, September 14th at Beulah In- stitutional Baptist Church, 1006 W. Cypress Street, at 4 p. m.
The “End of Summer Recital is hosted by Carlton Burgess School of the Arts in conjunction with Talents Blessed By GOD, features an array of performances reflect- ing the diversity of ap- proaches and offerings by the performing arts students’ summer 2019 season.
“The celebration show- cases our students and their summer achievements in- cluding drama, musicals and vocal presentations,” said Carlton Burgess.
The University of South Florida graduate, started the school in 2003 to provide a place where children, who have interest in the arts can be enriched, educated and encouraged while exploring their interest in the perform- ing arts from drama, voice,
CARLTON BURGESS
and musical instruments, in- cluding guitar, piano, organ and violin. It has since grown to include adults.
“Our teachers take per- formance seriously, whether they are coaching vocals, di- recting or choreographing a dance number. Teachers in- clude Lucinda Askew, Ar- mando Bickum, Reginald Knight, Keith Monroe, Pavonne Scott, Jamie Smith and me,” said the Tampa native.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.burgesss- chooloftheartstpa.webs.com or at 1913 W. Sligh Avenue, Tampa, Florida.
APOLONIA PACHECO ...With one of the recipients
The mission of “Gowns for HER” is to promote self- esteem, self-worth, and self- confidence, by providing formal gowns to underserved girls who desire to attend special occasions, focusing on prom and homecoming re- gardless of their financial cir- cumstances, at no cost to them. From inception in June of 2017, “Gowns for HER” has operated fully from the donations of local com- munities. The vision is to be- come a nationwide “pop-up-shop” and continue to provide free formal wear to most in need around the United States.
Mrs. Pacheco is a native of Tampa, and a 2-time grad- uate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) from the Depart- ment of Social Work. She has
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