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As Fabienne Cetoute set out to find her first formal dress, she perused aisles filled with over 600 prom dresses. Wanting the right dress, with just the right fit, for her first formal, the 13-year-old quickly opted for a sleeveless turquoise mini dress with a side train.

The trouble came when her focus shifted to finding the right pair of shoes.

“I want one with a higher heel,” she said. “But none of them fit.”

While the perfect shoe was not in the cards, Cetoute quickly found a silver clutch before heading over to the jewelry, hair accessory and cosmetic tables.

Her selections would total zero, thanks to The Charity Kings, a city nonprofit that transformed the Harold Daley VFW Post No. 1333 into a fashion house from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday night.

“I wanted to do something to help relieve the stress for many families,” said event coordinator Sherrice Lyles. “When I moved to this community five-years ago, I wanted to give back and since I grew up with six brothers and sisters and had to work while I went to school, I understood what many in the community were facing.”

Having had a positive feedback throughout social media, Lyles said they opened the event to girls from across the state.

Among Thursday night’s estimated 600 attendees were 18-year-olds friends Kaiden Ernst, Jamie Van Caster and Rebecca Stasey, who traveled from Browns Mills to find their formal wear.

“I heard about this on Facebook,” Ernst said.

Charity Kings’ president Darryl Hammary said support came from across the state.

“We had different companies donate items and Channel 12 [News] endorsed us,” Hammary said. “Ninety-nine percent of what you see was donated.”

That included the food, mannequins from Macy’s, dress racks from Marshalls, shoe and dresses from Channel 12 newscasters, and Miss Alexandria, Pennsylvania pageant winner who helped the girls find just the right dress.

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