As Karia Carter looked at herself in a full-length mirror wearing a strapless long Cinderella-like lavender gown, she covered her face.
“I’m about to cry. Oh my God, I love it,” said the 17-year-old Buchtel student. “It’s just so pretty. It looks like something from a movie. It looks so princessy and it was screaming my name. I knew it was the prom dress for me.”
She was among 46 students from Akron’s eight high schools who attended the Prom Promise, Savannah’s I Promise Makeover on Thursday at the Akron-Fairlawn Hilton Hotel.
The annual event was founded by Savannah James, Akron native and wife of NBA All-Star LeBron James and organized by the LeBron James Family Foundation.
Each young lady was treated like a princess, with their own dressing room complete with their names on the front of each curtain.
The girls each received brunch, deejay and limousine services, along with a free prom dress, a purse filled with makeup and a pair of Beats by Dre headphones.
Savannah James said when she was in high school and excited about going to the prom, she didn’t understand why some of her friends didn’t go.
She graduated from Buchtel in 2004 and was escorted to the prom by her future husband, LeBron James.
“It never dawned on me it was because they didn’t have the means to attend, and it really hurt my heart,” she said. “I couldn’t do anything back then, but in my adult years I realized there was something I could no now.”
One student said she was thankful because she was able to get a dress she otherwise could never afford.
“I really like the color,” said Leasia Anderson, 18, of Akron STEM High School, pointing out that it wasn’t just because her hair is red, although it is her favorite color. “…I’m so glad she is doing this. I probably wouldn’t be able to go to prom.”
Harmony Lester, 17, of Ellet, said she was grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and the freedom to choose what she wanted and not worry about cost.
“I like the blue one. It has glitter and elegance and there is a portion out in the back where I can show my tattoo,” she said, displaying a tattoo that read, ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ in the scooped out portion of the dress. “It’s a memorial to my dad who can’t be there for my prom. He died a year and a half ago.”
Buchtel student Miracle Martin, 18, was one of the first to enter the room with more than 200 prom dresses.
There were short dresses, long gowns and a combination of both, super fancy dresses with beads, lace or sequins. Some were chiffon. Some had ruffles. Some were two pieces, halter gowns or mermaid style.
Martin’s eyes lit up as she made her selection and ran to her dressing room.
“I saw it and I fell in love with it. I like the rhinestones and I love purple and it was my size,” Martin said.
Savannah James helped some of the girls, one at a time, carefully go through the clothes racks after listening to what each had to say in their search for a prom dress, checking for their reaction to a particular color or style.
“You can never judge something without trying it on,” James said. “Some things look better on you than what they look like on the rack. How about this one? Want to just try it and see?”
Some of the students came back after trying on their dresses just to get her approval.
James said she can give advice on dresses, but shoes are another story.
“I’m a shoe person and I wouldn’t want anyone to tell me what shoes to buy,” she said. “That’s why we’re giving each girl a [$50] gift certificate to DSW so they can select their own shoes.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.