In yet another example of neighbor helping neighbor following this month's devastating floods, the community has step up to help those in need once again. This time, the ones needing help, were high schoolers at DC West.
In a testament to the power of social media, dozens of students at DC West will now have something to wear to their prom next week. Posts could be found all over Facebook this week, asking for donations of shoes, dresses and makeup for students who lost their treasured prom outfits in the historic floods.
Alyssa Dilts tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB that although she didn't organize the donation drive, she used her large social media reach and connection to Omaha Fashion Week to spread the word, hoping to be able to help those who needed items for prom. "This is a moment in our community, when there's so much devastation and you're just like 'What can I do? What can I do? What can I do?'" Some of Dilts' friends worked together to establish donation drop-off and pick-ups and facilitated getting the items to those who needed them.
Dilts says many of these students lost everything in the floods and it was heartbreaking that prom, an event that is so special to high schoolers, could have been ruined. "You know you look forward to your prom your whole life and you go and pick out the perfect dress and it's all gone in the blink of an eye. I think everyone can relate to that and wants to make that better for them and that's really awesome."
Within days, Dilts says DC West had received so many donations, they had to stop collecting them because they had no where to store the multitude of dresses, jewelry pieces, shoes and beauty items. "Gosh darn it, how cool is it that our community not only stepped up, but stepped up so much that there is an abundance of support."
It's a story that we've heard over and over since the historic floods ravaged the region: Neighbor helps Neighbor. It's just what Nebraskans do.
Now, thanks to the generosity of strangers, dozens of girls will have memories about all of the kindness that saved their prom and not the devastation that could have marred it.