Dress swap Monday to help local moms go to prom
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 47 minutes AGO
Doree Handford reacts as Sheila Holfeltz steps out of a dressing room in a red gown in March 2025 in preparation for Mom Prom. A dress swap for the third annual Mom Prom will be from 4-6 p.m. Monday at Barre Length + Strength studio in Hayden.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press File
A Parent’s Paradise Charities will host a Mom Prom Dress Swap from 4-6 p.m. Monday at Barre Length + Strength studio, 9040 Hess St., Hayden.
The event is open to all women in the community, with one simple goal: come together, try on dresses and encourage one another.
“This night is about women building each other up,” Doree Handford, founder of A Parent’s Paradise Charities, said Tuesday. “It’s about connection, encouragement and reminding each other we don’t have to do life alone.”
Guests can browse donated dresses, try them on and take them home. A small selection of higher-end dresses, originally priced between $70 and $200, will be available for $25.
Most dresses will be available for a suggested $10 donation, with all proceeds going directly toward helping local moms attend Mom Prom who otherwise would not be able to go.
Organizers are also asking for community donations of dresses, shoes and accessories to help stock the event.
Funds raised will support mothers connected to North Idaho College's Center for New Directions, a program that helps young mothers pursue education and stability while raising children on their own. Every $50 raised helps send one mom to Mom Prom.
“These moms are working hard and carrying a lot,” Handford said. “This is one small way we can come alongside them and give them a moment that’s just for them.”
Mom Prom is from 6-10 p.m. on May 2 at the Coeur d'Alene Eagles in downtown Coeur d'Alene.
The event is part of a larger vision to create ongoing spaces where parents feel supported and seen.
“At the end of the day, this is about making sure moms feel valued,” Handford said. “When moms feel supported, families are stronger.”