Some Free/Low Cost Prom Dress Events in 2014

It's the midst of the prom dress hunting season.  While some events have passed already, there are still some events in the future.  I'm still waiting for the annual Raising Awareness event (we hope) at Owens Community College, which is generally in early April.  Here's a roundup of some events and opportunities around the country:

Check out this national listing of stores for donated prom dresses at Donate My Dress.  Another regional operation, Operation Prom, which operates events in New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey and Philadelphia, has prom dresses and tuxedo vouchers for low-income students.

Project G.L.A.M. has a listing of a couple of pop-up events in New York City.  In other local events, there's a prom dress resale event in the downriver suburbs of Detroit on March 22nd and 23rd.  The Macomb County Michigan Department of Human Services is hosting a Dress to Remember Event on April 2nd, 2014.

In northeast Massachusetts, there are some Priceless Prom events for dresses in late March and early April.

Get Extra Collateral to Fund Your Ohio Business. Get Access to More Funds in 10 More States

One of the biggest roadblocks in business funding for newcomers is finding the collateral that will make you a good loan prospect.  Many just don't have enough.  The Ohio Development Services Agency has a fairly new program to help.  It's the Collateral Enhancement Program.  It can provide up to 30% of the loan collateral for a small business (up to 50% for certified minority or women-owned businesses, or businesses in the HUB Enterprise zones. While business owners cannot apply for the collateral, lenders can.  However, if you think collateral might be an issue, you can contact a local Development Services Agency office and ask them to direct you to a lender that participates in the program. 

This program is the result of a grant from the U.S. Treasury Department to enhance the access of capital to small businesses in 11 states.  If you a small business owner in the other ten states-- Tennessee, Iowa, Idaho, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, Oregon, and Alabama-- use the links to your state's business development office to find out what programs might be offered in your state.