McGregor volunteers make girls feel special on their day of prom for free

MCGREGOR, Texas (KWTX)- A group of volunteers volunteered their Saturday to make sure girls who went to prom over the weekend had a chance to get their hair and makeup done for free.

The effort for McGregor High School students was spearheaded by Allison Williams, a 2005 McGregor graduate, after learning several girls couldn’t afford the extra costs for prom which can range into hundreds of dollars.

“It’s very important to me because I feel like every young lady should feel beautiful, should know how special she is,” Williams said.

Williams put the plea out on Facebook looking for hair and makeup assistance, and the community responded.

“I put it on Facebook, and I had an abundance of shares. So much love was given to my post, and I thank everyone so much for that.”

For most of the day Saturday, Williams along with Elizabeth Guerrero, a former makeup artist, Felicita Anderson, a student at Champions Barber Academy and McGregor grad Caitlin Zacharias, waited at The Exchange Event Center, where the prom was held, for girls who showed up needing help.

A half dozen of them came.

Guerrero, who is now a stay-at-home mom but worked several years as a makeup artist, says she knows how makeup makes her feel and she wanted to give that same feeling to others without the financial burden.

“Some people aren’t fortunate enough to pay and go have their makeup professionally done and it’s not a cheap thing to do,” Guerrero said. “So why not help where you can?”

Anderson said she’s been in the same position of needing a helping hand which is why she volunteered.

“It was important for me to do this because I enjoy giving back, blessing others with other services,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of people who may not be able to afford or be able to do things. They’re on a budget so I’d rather just offer my services for free with no charge.”

Sophomore student Hailey Ustick chose an updo and had her makeup applied by Guerrero.

She said they made her feel beautiful.

“It meant everything to me because I really don’t know how to do makeup and for them to do it and be free of charge is just everything,” Ustick said.

Williams said seeing the smile on Ustick’s face when she looked in the mirror for the first time made it all worth it.

“Sometimes people are just not in a position to be able to do that, whether it be financially or maybe they just don’t know who to reach out to. They’re not sure what resources to use in order to get it done, and that’s what I’m here for,” Williams said.

Williams says the group is so pleased with the success of year one, they’re already looking ahead to next year’s prom.

“Every girl should want to walk through those doors and know that everybody is going to have their eyes on her and they’re going to think she looks absolutely amazing.”

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