Back in 2008, Emily Smith and one of her sisters-in-law started talking about what to do with prom dresses after the dance.

Now, going on two decades later, Emily Smith and another sister-in-law, Denise Smith, are core members of the annual My Sister’s Dress sale committee. Aside from a break from 2020 to 2023 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the sisters-by-marriage have helped girls in the area afford prom dresses while raising funds for other area nonprofit groups.

When they started the sale, Emily was very involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, and wanted to do something to help the high school girls she knew through the program experience prom.

“I do whatever my sister-in-law asks me to do, because I love her,” Denise Smith said of what got her involved.

That they never got resistance, and the first event fell into place, “was a sign that we were doing the right thing for the right reason,” Denise added.

That doesn’t mean that the prom dress sale has always gone without a few hiccups.

Early on, Big Brothers Big Sisters was the sponsoring organization, providing space for the sale. But a leadership change there led them to move to McHenry Community College. But finding a date that worked there proved challenging, and the YMCA became their new home.

What they’ve found is that moving the sale and the partnerships supporting it hasn’t been a negative.

“We have found that by moving the partnerships around, it has been beneficial for people to learn about the event, and to learn about the nonprofit they are supporting,” Emily said. “I think it has helped us grow and be introduced to new people.”

The high school volunteers also are very good about getting the word out to their classmates, Denise said.

They don’t do a count of the dresses donated each year, Emily said. The average is about 1,000, with at least 300 sold at $30 each.

The money raised this year – $7,870 – benefited McHenry County College’s Education to Empowerment Scholarship and Holiday Heroes.

Since the sale began, it’s raised just shy of $100,000 for area charitable groups.

Unsold dresses are donated to the Cinderella’s Closet prom dress sale at Elgin’s YWCA, Beloit’s Becca’s Closet and similar outreach programs at Arlington Heights-Township High School District 214 and Crystal Lake Elementary District 47.

“It is the best day,” Emily said.

The dress sale isn’t their only form of community involvement, either.

Emily Smith sits on the District 47 board. Denise Smith is a Crystal Lake City Council member. Both have other volunteer community organizations they help.

Both women credit their parents for instilling the importance of giving back to their communities.

“My parents ... both are very active in their community and have made it a priority to give back to the community. You only get out what you put into it,” Emily said.

Denise is a transplant, coming to McHenry County from Detroit. In addition to her parents setting an example, she also credits her late in-laws, John and Janet Smith of McHenry, for their inspiration.

Emily was an inspiration for her too, Denise said, but Crystal Lake and McHenry County was its own inspiration.

“I have never been in a community like this before, where everybody supports everybody. The more people I met here, the more I wanted to do, Denise said. ”I keep finding reasons in McHenry County to give back."