High schoolers from all across York County have been gathering at Dallastown High School with hopes of finding their perfect homecoming dress. Students have one day of the year to dress their best, cameras on, Action!

Mini-THON hosts a dress sale fundraiser every year, each dress being priced at $25 or less with all proceeds going towards Four Diamonds and their fight against childhood cancer. 

Donations of new and gently used dresses, shoes, purses, and accessories come from community members including staff and alumni. Some donations also come from local businesses. 

This year, Lilla’s Bridal Boutique in York, donated three boxes of dresses. In the past, they have also gotten donations from Uptown Cheapskates, Twice Upscale Resale, In White Bridal, and Simones. 

“It’s not always Dallastown kids shopping here. We get a lot of shoppers from other schools in the county,” Mini-THON adviser Miss Gable said.

Each year, the sale is held three to four Sundays in a row in September. The group turns the front lobby into a store with racks and dressing rooms.

There have already been two dates this year with close to 40 dresses and various accessories sold so far.

There is one more opportunity for students to shop for dresses on Sept. 14 from 12-3 p.m.

Something new this year is the new dress sale Instagram which includes photos, dress sizes, prices, and descriptions.

“I really thought that if people could see the inventory that we have it would bring a lot more people in. Just like when you go shopping online for clothing you want to see what size the dress is and even see it on a body sometimes,” Haley Werner, one of the overall heads of Mini-THON, said. 

The Mini-THON dress sale has become a staple to start fundraising for the year, but it wasn’t always this big.

Seven to eight years ago, the dress sale proposal made its way into the scene.

“One of the students had the idea, and the other kids weren’t so sure about it at first,” Gable said.

Even though the idea wasn’t popular at first, the event quickly gained traction. 

“People would shop at stores like Renaissance and spend so much money on dresses that were worn only time. Some of them started donating them to us to give them a second chance. Other people were struggling to find a cute dress, so it was kind of a way to make homecoming affordable while benefiting a good cause,” Gable said.

Over time, the dress sale began to get more followers and sales. Advertising on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and the school’s morning announcements helped promote the event. 

“Now that we have made a separate Instagram account for the dress sale I believe our attraction has grown! A lot more people seem interested in the dresses we have since they can see them before they come,” Sophia Long, one of the Special Events heads, said.

The dress sale’s Instagram specifically helped highlight the different trends of quality dresses, which boosted sales. The Mini-THON sale offers various brands like Windsor, Sherri Hill and Jovani. 

“Some of the donations we get are beautiful, expensive dresses, but they just might not be what is currently in style. Some of those we keep back, and in another few years they are going to be big sellers,” Gable said.

The Instagram’s job of highlighting the current dresses has worked well in the dress sale’s favor, as many students didn’t know what the sale had to offer before. 

“A lot of people assume that since we are a resale, most dresses are outdated so they don’t want to come,” Long said.  

They are often surprised when they see the selection.

The success of the dress sale has positively contributed to the money raised for the Four Diamonds. Just last year, the dress sale earned around $2,000 from sales, and so far the event has raised over $10oo this year with another week to go. 

“We just kept pushing and getting as many donations as we could, and now it’s really grown a lot,” Gable said. 

Mini-THON heads have new ideas for the event for years to come. From changing dates, to having more volunteers sign up and promoting the event, their ultimate goal is to maintain the passion students have. 

“I really just hope to see the passion and love for Mini-THON continue to grow and for it to continue to be successful,” Werner said.