Mothers Trust, Zengeler Cleaners team up for prom dress collection drive

NORTHBROOK – For many high school students, sights are set on their proms.

To ensure as many students as possible have an opportunity to participate, Mothers Trust Foundation of Lake Forest and Zengeler Cleaners announced they once again are collecting lovingly worn prom dresses and accessories.

The dresses will be available at no cost to northern Illinois high school women who otherwise may not be able to afford to experience the joy of prom.

“Prom is a very special event, one that most students remember for many years beyond high school,” Tom Zengeler, president of the Midwest’s oldest and largest dry cleaner, said in a news release. “Mothers Trust Foundation and Zengeler Cleaners want to ensure the cost of a prom dress isn’t the reason someone cannot attend. With generous donations from former high school students and our wonderful customers, our goal is to eliminate that obstacle for thousands of students through our dress collection program. You can help by encouraging anyone you know who has a prom dress in their closet to donate it at any Zengeler Cleaners location.”

Each spring, Mothers Trust Foundation hosts a Pop-Up Prom Experience with “personal shoppers” helping students select the perfect dress, along with accessories including shoes, jewelry, scarves and other items.

This year’s event will be March 8 and 9 at the University Center of Lake County. The weekend also features an educational component in which students can learn more about continuing their education at both the College of Lake County and the University Center.

Zengeler Cleaners provides several important services for the dress collection drive. In addition to working with several high schools to solicit donations from students, their stores serve as collection points for donations from individuals, organizations and businesses. Zengeler Cleaners’ experts inspect, repair as needed and clean the donated items, all at no cost to Mothers Trust Foundation or the students. This ensures everyone wearing a dress from the collection drive looks their best on their special evening.