Spring is almost upon us, which means prom season is not too far behind. Discovery Communications is already preparing for the big night with a national expansion of its "Say Yes To the Prom" initiative promoting positive self-esteem in high school girls.
High School proms can be a memorable event, but it can also be very challenging and difficult emotionally for some girls who struggle under peer pressure to look and act a certain way. The initiative, which launched two years ago, invites a select group of high school girls to meet with Monte Durham, star of TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta series, as well as make-up and style experts to help the girls with prom dress shopping and makeovers at Discovery’s Silver Spring, Md. headquarters.
This year the company will expand the initiative to Chicago and Des Moines, giving more girls an opportunity to develop mentoring relationships with industry professionals, as well as to build their self-confidence. Discovery will partner with Mediacom to hold a “Say Yes To The Prom” effort April 23 for girls from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. The company will also team with Comcast Cable, OWN and Harpo Studios to host girls from Julian High School and Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago.
Overall, the companies will donate more than 1,200 prom dresses for the selected girls. A pre-prom mixer and networking event will also be held in each of the cities to further help build self-confidence and courage among the girls.
“Say Yes to the Prom’s expansion is a testament to the incredible success of the past two years and the power that can be found in the collective effort of partners across the industry,” said Adria Alpert Romm, Chief Human Resources and Global Diversity Officer, Discovery Communications. “Pairing like-minded organizations with creative on-air talent and local vendors has created an unmatched team and incredible initiative – one with the power to make a positive impact on girls across the country.”
