>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

PROM FINERY: Kelsyi Flanagan, left, and Alex Nielsen of La Grande wear some of the prom dresses Josey Fast has in her Finery Collection. - The Observer/DICK MASON

The closet shimmers with colorful prom wear items, including more than 75 gowns, 25 pairs of shoes, suits, jewelry and other accessories for teenagers — all items Fast loans free of charge to teenagers via her Finery Collection program.

The popular two-year-old program has helped dozens of Union County teenagers attend proms and formals but now is in peril. Fast is preparing to move from La Grande to Tieton, Wash., near Yakima because of a job opportunity. The move means she will no longer be able to run her Finery Collection program.

Unless Fast finds someone to take over the program before she leaves in three weeks she will have to shut the Finery Collection program down. She will sell all of her prom items, all donated by community members, and then donate the money she receives to a local charity.

Fast desperately hopes that it does not come to this. She believes the Finery Collection program can continue to flourish if someone with passion for fashion and helping young people steps forward.

“I want to find someone who feels the same way I do.’’

Most of those Fast has helped are girls. They have a greater need for assistance during prom season because gowns can cost $250 and must be purchased. No store in Union County rents prom dresses, she said. By contrast, the tuxedos boys wear to proms can be rented locally for about $50.

Some of those Fast has helped are those who found themselves in desperate need for help at the last minute.

“One girl showed up on a Saturday morning (the day of her prom),’’ Fast said. “We found the perfect thing for her to wear.”

Those who are thankful for Fast’s help include Candi Nielsen of La Grande, the mother of two 16-year-old daughters who borrowed dresses from the Finery Collection this spring. Nielsen said that Fast’s help has been a lifesaver since both her daughters, Alex and Josie, are of prom-attending age. The cost of outfitting two daughters for a prom is prohibitive, she said.

Parents with limited means agonize over the expense of proms because of their importance.

“(A prom) is a memory, a rite of passage, especially for girls,’’ Nielsen said.

Anyone stepping forward to take over the Finery Collection program may have teenage girls coming to their door periodically. They will come just for the opportunity to look through the gown collection.

Nielsen’s daughter Alex and her friend Kelsyi Flanagan made a visit to Fast’s prom closet Tuesday. They would have been glad to stay for hours.

“It feels like I am age 10 playing dress up with my friends,’’ said Flanagan Tuesday afternoon.

Alex Nielsen said the diversity of Fast’s gown collection gives local teenage girls a special fashion opportunity.

“It provides a good way to show off different styles of dress,’’ she said.

Fast enjoys helping teenagers as much as they like visiting her home. She speaks like she would only become more enthused about the Finery Collection program if she continued running it.

“It has not been work, it has been purely fun,’’ she said.

She emphasized that the program would never have gotten off the ground without generous donations from the community.

“What has been just as much fun as working with the girls has been experiencing the generosity of the community. People have been so amazing,’’ Fast said.

Anyone interested in taking over Fast’s Finery Collection program can call her at 963-4389.