- A Homecoming/Prom dress giveaway will be held Saturday, October 5 at St. John Paul II High School at 3036 Saratoga Boulevard.
- The Once Upon a Dress giveaway starts at 1 p.m. and goes on until 5 p.m.
- More than 500 dresses were donated for the cause. High school students throughout the Coastal Bend are invited to get one for free while supplies last. There will also be door prizes.
- High School club, Smiles for Miles, lead efforts to collect donations. Smiles for Miles was started by Eliana Galvan, a 10th grader at St. John Paul II High School.
Homecoming and Prom are events young ladies look forward to. However, the cost of formal dresses may put a strain on what should be a magical experience.
"Honestly, going homecoming dress shopping with my mom, I know all of us can feel this, but it's like crazy expensive." said Eliana Galvan, a 10th grader at St. John Paul II High School.
Determined to make a difference, Eliana took matters into her own hands. She wanted to ensure that her peers could still have their dream homecoming without breaking the bank. What started as a small idea soon grew into something much bigger— a movement she never anticipated.
“It came out of nowhere, and everyone was like, ‘What is this?’” Eliana said, describing the origins of her initiative, Smiles for Miles, a club she founded with the goal of spreading kindness.
Eliana and her team decided to create a pop-up shop, collecting and distributing formal dresses for free to anyone in need.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the community, donations poured in—more than 500 dresses in total. The garments were set up at St. John Paul II High School, creating a boutique experience for high schoolers across the Coastal Bend. On Saturday, students from all over the area are invited to Once Upon a Dress. At the event, they can come and select a dress at no cost.
“We have formal dresses. We have prom dresses. It’s not even all just about the dresses. It’s also about community,” Eliana explained. “We’re going to have a lot of different arts and crafts and activities going on throughout the day.”
Eliana’s vision goes beyond just one event. With 21 members in Smiles for Miles, she hopes to expand the club, bringing more students from other schools into the fold. She emphasized the importance of kindness and community, noting that even small gestures can make a big difference. Though she’s only just beginning her high school journey, Eliana already has big dreams for the future. She hopes to one day become a pediatrician, opening her own office in Corpus Christi, and continuing her mission to serve the community.
I want to help the people in my community. I want to continue doing that and inspiring the youth that they can do what we all did once.” she said.
With her story still being written and much ahead of her, Eliana remains committed to helping others year after year. Her vision for Once Upon a Dress is to make it an annual event, allowing even more students to benefit from the generosity and kindness that she and her club have inspired.
“I think what we’re doing now is not only making us great leaders and helping us bring more community, but I think it’s building something in us—a desire to help others,” Eliana said. “These small things are going to make a big difference in somebody else’s life.”
Smiles for Miles is open to all youth, regardless of their school, and encourages students from middle and high schools across the Coastal Bend to get involved.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
