Several Les Amies sorority members and Big Brothers helped set up for Jewels appointments at the Hartselle Fine Arts Center during one of their snow days. Pictured, from left, are (seated) Sloan Sittason, Erika Roman, Grace Friar, Mally Coleman, Anna Mathis, Nikki Nolin, Mary Claire Swann, (standing) Hunter Montgomery, Hayden Bradford, Caleb Finn, Lane Anders, Collin Blackwood and Kyle Hamlett. | Special to the Enquirer

Shopping for a prom dress and all the glittering amenities is usually a cherished experience for high school girls, but not everyone has the luxury of enjoying it.

Jewels makes sure as many Morgan County girls as possible can make those special memories.

They have been offering donated dresses, shoes, jewelry and accessories to deserving girls in the area for three prom seasons now.

Sarah Morris, owner of the Something Blue Too Shoppe in downtown Hartselle, started the give-away in 2013. She got a group of women together to find deserving girls in the area schools and coordinate a personalized prom outfit for each of them, according to Jewels volunteer Lang Sims. The charity has prepared around 30 girls or more for prom each year.

“We know how special the prom shopping experience makes girls feel,” Sims said. “We want to recreate that for these girls who wouldn’t normally be able to experience it. We care about them, and we know that some of them are in need of emotional support more than they need financial help.”

Jewels sets up a full-service special occasion shop in the Hartselle Fine Arts Center one weekend before prom season. Each girl has a 45-minute appointment with an experienced volunteer consultant to help them pick out a dress and accessories. Once their dress is chosen, Jewels volunteer seamstress Mary Wynn takes over with alterations. Each girl is also given a goody bag with samples of make-up from Belk.

“We have the whole place set up with racks of dresses, fitting rooms and three-way mirrors,” Sims said. “The volunteers are experienced consultants just like if they girls were going to Something Blue Too. It’s exactly like shopping at a store except they don’t have a bill.”

All the hundreds of dresses are donated by Morris from the racks of her shop. The accessories are a combination of donations from the community and shipments from Morris’s out-of-state affiliates. Jewels only accepts monetary donations and used donations of like-new jewelry.

“Sarah donates more than enough dresses, so we don’t ask for used prom dresses,” Sims said. “We want the dresses to be brand new and not a hand-me-down since we really strive to recreate that shopping experience. We have a storage unit absolutely packed full of dresses and shoes even after our last prom event at the end of February.”

The Les Amies sorority sponsors a storage unit for Jewels, but most other expenses are managed on a very tight budget. Sims said the charity is only made possible by Morris’s generous donations and community support.

“Sarah Morris not only founded Jewels, but she is the whole reason it takes place,” Sims said. “Thanks to her donations and the support of the Les Amies group, we are able to keep it going. When we were setting up for our event this year, it was a snow day for the schools. Jennifer Sittason called some kids, and 20-25 Les Amies members and Big Brothers gave up their free day to come set up. We are very grateful for their huge help.”

Sims said the high school students are very helpful in setting up and taking down, but they are not allowed to help while the appointments are in progress. Sims said the privacy of the girls is a priority.

“This is one of the best organizations I have ever been a part of,” Sims said. “We just can’t understand how important this experience is to the girls we see, and it’s wonderful to see the smiles on their faces and the tears in their mother’s eyes.”

Jewels is not filed as an official charity, but they hope to become one soon to simplify donations and other financial burdens they now face, according to Sims.

Sims said the most needed items are clear or neutral colored jewelry and monetary donations. Donations can be given to Something Blue Too or Lang Sims.

Les Amies member Mally Coleman, front left, presents a check for $500 to Jewels Chairperson Lang Sims, front right, as Les Amies members Grace Counts, back left, and Amanda Jane Pride look on. | Clif Knight