Hendricks County Flyer, Avon, IN

Community

February 2, 2012

Teens start non-profit to reach out to peers

BROWNSBURG — Kendall Daugherty and Jordan Mutnansky have teamed up to start their own non-profit organization — Drop Your Dress Foundation — to help empower teens with terminal and debilitation illnesses.

The mission of the group is to offer ill teens a prom-style party with all of the health provisions and precautions to keep them safe.

The organization is in the process of accepting donated dresses, suits, and accessories for the event which will be held at Connection Pointe Christian Church.

“So far we have 90 dresses, 16 ties, and a couple of shirts and jackets,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty has been contacting area hospitals and other support programs looking for teens to invite to the prom.

“We have a ‘to do’ list that is actually 12 feet long,” she said. “It’s getting pretty stressful trying to get our minds wrapped around all of this.”

They’re working on the project all while having family commitments and, oh yes, going to high school full time.

Daugherty, 17, and Mutnansky, 16, are still teen-agers themselves. They got the idea to start the foundation while on a church trip.

“We went on a trip to Florida to participate in Do Big Stuf,” Mutnansky said. “It’s a meeting where they encourage you to do something big.”

The two are friends who attend youth group at Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg.

Daugherty attends University High School in Carmel and Mutnansky is a student at Brownsburg High School.

“We’ve been going on this trip for three years,” Mutnansky said. “Each year we go back and work with kids below the poverty level. They inspire us to do something big when we return home.”

While on the trip in 2011, the girls seemed to have the idea for Drop Your Dress almost simultaneously.

“We looked at each other and it was like we were reading each other’s minds,” she said.

They immediately started texting their youth minister, Mike Berry. He said they should talk it over and the rest is history.

“We want to bring hope to and empower teens with chronic medical conditions by reminding them that they matter,” Mutnansky said.

By the time they returned home, they had pretty much decided on the mission of their new project and how they would go about it.

Both Daugherty and Mutnansky have illnesses that have impacted their mobility and felt they could empathize with other teens who may not be able to go to their prom because of a medical condition.

“Medical bills add up so fast,” Mutnansky said. “Most college students still have prom dresses in their parents’ attics or basements, or suit pieces they’ve outgrown.”

The group takes those donations so the families of the teens attending the event will not be taxed further by needing to purchase a new dress or suit.

The Drop Your Dress Foundation is mostly run by the co-founders and many other teens. They do have the support of three adult volunteers: Berry, Buddy Faulkner, and Jenny Bates.

The middle and high school ministries at Connection Pointe have helped raise $520 for the event.

There will be a fundraiser for the Drop Your Dress Foundation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 10 at the Crown Room in Brownsburg. It will be a prom fashion show. The cost of the show is $10 per person and it will be catered by Olive Garden.

“We’ll be showing off the new styles and hairstyles,” Mutnansky said. “It will be more of a girl event.”

Tickets are being sold in advance of the event and may be purchased by e-mailing to dropyourdress@yahoo.com. Donations are also being arranged with the use of that e-mail address.

brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com

———

Online:

dropyourdress.com

bigstuf.com

Text Only
Community
  • news HC night 4.jpg Indians host family day at Victory Field

    INDIANAPOLIS — This year’s Hendricks County Family Day at Victory Field starts at 1:35 p.m. June 23 as the Indianapolis Indians take on the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

    June 14, 2013 1 Photo

  • news tea party.jpg English Tea Garden Party

    There will be a English Tea Garden Party benefitting Susie’s Place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 9 at Avon Gardens, 6259 C.R. 91, in Avon.

    May 29, 2013 1 Photo

  • news carlucci 25 1.jpg Town manager marks 25th anniversary

    PLAINFIELD — The last time the Town of Plainfield was looking for a town manager, it covered just a little over 3.4 square miles of land. Twenty five years later, the town stands at nearly 25 square miles and still has the same administrator — Richard “Rich” Carlucci.

    April 23, 2013 5 Photos

  • news telecom of year 1.jpg Ceremony honors 911 operators

    PLAINFIELD — 911 operators from across the country celebrated National Telecommunicators Week — and the staff in Hendricks County were no different. Operators from the Hendricks County Communications Center (HCCC) celebrated this week with special activities and a dinner where Brownsburg’s Debbie Umbanhowar was named Telecommunicator of the Year.

    April 19, 2013 3 Photos

  • news pilgrimages011.jpg Avon resident pens book on travels

    RoseDog Books has published Pilgrimages by Avon’s Bill Glass.

    April 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • news girls night 1.jpg Avon family lives with cystic fibrosis

    AVON — Learning about cystic fibrosis has become a way of life for RD and Aimee Albright of Avon. Two of the couple’s children were diagnosed with the disease and need lung transplants.

    April 13, 2013 3 Photos

  • Corn hole tournament to benefit local team

    April 10, 2013

  • be dentist2.jpg Local dentist shares tips for a healthy smile

    Hendricks Pediatric Dentistry focuses on specialized dentistry for children and adolescents, and John Wells, D.M.D., teaches his patients and their parents about oral health.

    April 5, 2013 1 Photo

  • news ims Easter.jpg IMS hosts third annual Easter Egg hunt

    There was a lot of action around turn three at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, but it didn’t involve IndyCars as one might expect.

    April 1, 2013 7 Photos

  • news humanitarian award 1.jpg American Red Cross to honor local cancer survivors

    The American Red Cross has decided to honor two young Hendricks County cancer survivors for their humanitarian efforts.

    March 29, 2013 2 Photos

Hendricks County Marquee
Email News Sign Up
Facebook
Twitter Updates
Follow us on twitter
Follow me on Twitter
Poll

Is Eric Snowden a traitor or patriot?

Traitor
Patriot
Not sure
     View Results
AP Video
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29 Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Must Read