27 Dresses Project awards scholarships

The 27 Dresses Project in Liberty County is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s scholarship awards. Katie Bortz and Dylan Hadley, both of Tarkington ISD, Ryan Harris of Hardin ISD and Isabella Gamboa of Cleveland ISD will each receive $500 to help offset costs associated with their post-high school educational plans. 

“We want to teach young people to learn how to identify a need and then how to take action to fulfill that need. Thus, our essay question asks, “If you could create an organization based on what is important to you, what would your organization be about and achieve?” co-founder Emily Cook explained. “It is amazing and heartwarming the responses we receive.” 

Scholarship funds are raised from the project’s annual formal dress sale held each spring. The project collects gently used formal dresses and then hosts a sale where each dress is priced at $50 or less. It is a fun event that has become a staple in our community. 

The project started out primarily serving North Liberty County but is consciously taking steps to involve South Liberty County. “We intend to host a pop-up sale this fall for local homecoming events, likely with the event taking place in Hardin. We also intend to open up scholarship opportunities to not just high school seniors, but other local students who are already attending a post-secondary program,” co-founder Hannah Taylor said. 

Besides donating a dress, there are other ways folks can help year-round. The two main expenses of the project are the use of climate-controlled storage space year-round to ensure dresses are kept clean and dry-cleaning of formal gowns. Anyone wishing to help offset these expenses are encouraged to contact Hannah Taylor or Emily Cook at info@27dressesproject.com, through Facebook, or to mail a check to PO Box 367, Liberty, Texas 77575. The 27 Dresses Project is a tax-exempt 501(c)3-recognized organization.