Roughly 1,100 juniors and seniors at Midland High School and H.H. Dow High School just found out they won't have to pay a dime for prom this spring. The news came from the founders of Becca's Closet, a national nonprofit, who personally traveled from Florida to announce a $25,000 donation during assemblies at both Midland schools.
Jay Kirtman and Pam Kirtman, who founded the organization, delivered the surprise in person, according to MLive. Midland Public Schools officials said the gift will cover prom costs for about 1,100 junior and senior students across both high schools, per the same report. The prom for both schools is scheduled for April at the Great Hall Banquet & Event Center in Midland.
Becca's Closet was founded in memory of the Kirtmans' daughter, Rebecca “Becca” Kirtman, a high school student who noticed that some of her classmates could not afford prom attire and began collecting and donating formal dresses. She died in 2003, and her family continued her project after her death, eventually expanding it into a nonprofit that helps students attend prom and other events nationwide.
A Florida Teen's Legacy Goes National
Rebecca Kirtman was a 16-year-old cheerleader at Nova High School in Davie, Florida, who collected and distributed more than 250 formal dresses to peers in 2003 before dying in a car crash that August, according to CBS News. More than two decades later, her parents are still personally delivering the gift she started, now in the form of an organization that stretches far beyond dress racks.
That growth was on full display in March, when Becca's Closet partnered with Macy's on a national initiative that provided fully funded prom tickets to nearly 2,600 high school students across multiple U.S. school districts, the nonprofit announced. Beyond dress donations and ticket subsidies, Becca's Closet also awards college scholarships to high school seniors nationwide who show exceptional commitment to community service, according to a Constant Contact newsletter detailing the organization's history.
Mid-Michigan Already Had a Head Start
The Midland gift builds on a model the nonprofit tested just miles away. Saginaw United High School was selected in March as one of only seven high schools nationally to receive a $14,000 prom grant from Becca's Closet, which covered free tickets, professional photos, and a catered dinner for the entire Class of 2026, according to Saginaw Public Schools. School counselor Alexia Houpis, who leads the local Becca's Closet chapter at Saginaw United, initiated the grant request that ultimately secured the funding to cover prom expenses for Saginaw seniors in May.
By that month, Becca's Closet had covered prom costs for 247 Saginaw United High School seniors.
What the Grant Actually Covers for Families
For families weighing the cost of prom season, the financial relief is substantial. Reporting from WXYZ-TV in April found that total out-of-pocket costs for a high school student attending prom in Michigan typically range between $800 and $1,500 per student. Formal wear is another cost for students attending prom.
Ticket prices add another layer of expense. High school prom admission tickets across the United States typically cost between $50 and $150 per student, reflecting expenses for venue rentals, security, catering, and entertainment, per Terry Costa. With Becca's Closet's $25,000 gift covering the Great Hall event for both Midland High and H.H. Dow High, those costs disappear for the roughly 1,100 students set to attend.
Midland Public Schools operates two primary high schools serving the district's juniors and seniors — H.H. Dow High School enrolls roughly 1,265 students and Midland High School enrolls approximately 1,134 students in grades 9 through 12, according to Ballotpedia data. Not all of those students are eligible prom-goers, but the donation is expected to reach the bulk of the junior and senior classes at both schools when they gather at the Great Hall next April.
