Story by Mikayla Marshall, Staff writer

The Panhellenic Council and Office of Greek Life are accepting prom dresses and accessories to donate to Cinderella’s Closet in Paducah, Kentucky.

They will be accepting donations until early February. The dresses will go to girls who couldn’t go to prom if they did not have this help. The Panhellenic Council plans to make this a yearly event.

The Council adopted “Circle of Sisterhood” last year, which focuses on education for girls and empowering women. They thought Cinderella’s Closet fit well with their goal to help women feel confident in themselves.

All six sororities on campus are in charge of gathering the dresses from their chapter and the Panhellenic Council will give them to the women in Paducah.

All women on Murray State’s campus are welcome to bring dresses in to donate and can drop them off in the Student Life Center on the first floor of the Curris Center.

“The whole point of this is for her to have fun and for her to make memories that she will never forget,” said Evan Ditty, Coordinator of Greek Life & Student Leadership Programs.

He said that Greek Life’s mission is to make better people and this is a selfless act that will make a difference for an individual.

“Moments like these really remind us of how important it is to give back,” Ditty said.

Cinderella’s Closet is dedicated to turning “Dresses into Dreams,” as their mission states. It began as a ministry of Immanuel United Methodist Church and has grown to include other churches throughout the country. Each is founded on the belief that providing formal wear is a way to show God’s love for amazing young women. There are “closets” located in every region of Kentucky.

“This will be my first time donating to Cinderella’s Closet and I plan on giving four dresses,” Anna Gorsick, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, said.

She said she wants the girls who get her dresses to have a good time and to not let anyone ruin their night.

“It is really easy to take for granted the experiences you get to have because of the family you came from,” she said.

Parents will pay at least $989 when their daughter goes to prom, according to The Guardian, and prom is often seen as the ultimate high school experience.

“I think everybody should get to go at least once and prom dresses are overly expensive,” Allie Roberts, sophomore from Versailles, Kentucky, said. “There is no reason a dress should cost $500.”

Roberts said it is nice to see all the sororities coming together instead of competing.

“There is so much more to a sorority than just the social aspect,” said Chandler Dunn, Panhellenic’s Vice President of Community Service & Philanthropy.

“I think it means so much for us to help people because we help so many people, all the sororities with all the different philanthropies and how much of an impact we do have,” he said.