Oliver Clive

I was never the little girl who dreamed of being married one day, but prom was something I had secretly looked forward to from my first year in high school. Nothing seemed more exciting than having your hair and makeup done, getting dressed up, and most of all, shopping to find “the” dress.

I remember when I finally found a dress I loved, I was taken aback by the price. The dress was over $100 (this was more than a decade ago), and it was unlikely I’d ever wear the dress again (except maybe on a cruise). Spending money was a conscious thing in our household, and so I didn’t think my mom would approve.

Through a stroke of generosity (or maybe she was tired), my mom plunked down her plastic while making it absolutely clear to me this was a one time thing. I remember being flooded with a feeling of gratefulness. I had a dress for prom! And that was all that mattered.

One of the best things about my job is getting to know other non-profit organizations in my community. One of these is Help One Child in San Mateo County, which helps to provide services to at-risk children. When I heard about their plan to have a girls empowerment conference for high school age foster girls, I eagerly jumped aboard. Not only will the event provide classes such as Healthy Relationships and Cultivating Self-Esteem (things I passionately care about!), but they are hoping to provide prom dresses and beauty items for these teens who would otherwise not be able to afford going to prom.