SINGLE MOTHER GIFTED PROM DRESS BY BRIDAL SHOP

GRADE 12 INNISDALE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT PLANS TO ATTEND COLLEGE EARLY NEXT YEAR

Chey-Anne Bloomfield earned a night to remember.

The Grade 12 Innisdale Secondary School student is a single mom to her 18month-old son. At 17, she's worked hard to stay in school and graduate, with plans to attend college in early 2023. But life has been busy and certainly not easy.

Combine that with the overhaul to the education system over the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was an extra bit of importance placed on prom this year. For a while, though, it seemed as though Bloomfield wouldn't have the money to attend.

That's when her guidance counsellor, Anne Stueck, and the Say It With Love bridal boutique stepped in. Stueck called several shops, but was able to secure a donation from the boutique. The store owners brought Bloomfield in for a fitting, helped her find the perfect dress and gave it to her. They also took her shoe shopping, purchased toys for her son and paid for dinner.

"The way they welcomed me was amazing," Bloomfield told Simcoe.com. "They gave me more than a dress. It was like fostering a home within the experience. It was way more than what I expected. They didn't know me. Just seeing them go above and beyond, it means a lot."

The prom, held in early June, gave Bloomfield a night to party with her friends and celebrate this key milestone in a teenager's life.

"I felt like Rihanna or Beyoncé," she said. "When I walked in, people were like, 'Oh my god, where did you get that dress?' It reminded me that I'm not just a mom or a student. I'm a teenager and a human. To be able to go to prom and not have to worry about making a bottle, changing a diaper or running around to get my little one to stay still, it reminded me of who I can be."

Amanda Smith, who has co-owned the boutique with husband Will for the last three years, hopes to make a similar gesture next year.

"I like giving. She's a single mom with no supports. We had a dress, so why not?" Smith said. "(Students) worked damn hard all year to get the grades to go to university or college. They need to be able to relax and celebrate with friends. They deserve to go to prom."

Bloomfield encourages anyone who needs aid to request it.

"I would tell other people who might not be in the exact situation as me that there is help out there," she said. "You just have to find it, speak and ask. For anyone who feels their life is on pause because they have a little one or responsibilities, it just takes the right moment, people, sometimes dress, to show you there's still fun out there. You can have fun. You're still human." The boutique is at 71 Commerce Park Dr. in Barrie.