Community Corner
Prom Dress Giveaway In Batavia: See What's Planned For 2025
Chip In Batavia will gather dress and accessory donations for a month before locals can pick from the collection at the annual giveaway.
BATAVIA, IL — Before local high schoolers are off to prom this spring, Chip In Batavia and the Batavia Public Library will once again team up for their annual prom dress giveaway in March.
The 11th annual drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 22 and again from 12:30-3 p.m. March 23 at the library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. Donations of clean dresses, shoes, purses and accessories — as well as hair items and new makeup — will be accepted at the library beginning Feb. 1 until March 20.
Starting this year, every student who visits the event will also be entered into a raffle for a gift basket with a gift certificate, valued at $250, from Special Occasions on the Avenue, a dress boutique in Batavia.
Find out what's happening in Bataviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Chip In Batavia — an acronym for Community Helpers Impacting People in Need — is a restricted fund within the nonprofit Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence. Its mission is to help low-income and homeless families in Batavia, but any student, regardless of income status, can partake in the event.
"The goal is to ensure that all students ... enjoy this rite of passage and don't miss prom due to the typically great expense," organizers wrote in a news release.
Find out what's happening in Bataviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In 2024, Chip In Batavia provided more than 800 dresses to students at more than 40 schools and five charities.
"We encourage students to come with friends or family," reads the release. "It is a lot of fun and the dresses are gorgeous."
In addition to dresses and accessories, monetary donations are also "greatly appreciated," organizers said, as they'll be used to pay for tuxedo rentals and prom tickets for Batavia students. Checks should be made out to the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence, with "Chip In Batavia" written on the memo line.
The Batavia Public Library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Dress racks for drop-off will be located near the check-out desk, where tax donation letters will be available.
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