Prom dress drive strives to bring smiles Published April 13, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Edward Caffrey CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Tyleen Caffrey knows all too well the feelings of being a teenager in foster care and the obstacles this presents in high school. "When I was in foster care, it was difficult for my foster parents to fund going to the prom," Mrs. Caffrey said. "My foster mother made my dress, but I know not every child has that opportunity. Now serving as Cannon's Family Advocacy Outreach coordinator, and a 99.9 KTQM radio co-host in the morning, she hopes to serve as many youth as possible in the Clovis area. Caffrey conducted a prom dress drive April 11 at Matt 25 Hope Center in Clovis, N. M., to alleviate some of the anxiety for other foster children. . "I see it all the time, where girls want to go to prom, but the cost places a financial burden on the foster parents," she said. While a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, Mrs. Caffrey organized a prom dress drive that collected nearly 500 dresses for foster youth. The idea started as a community service project when she was serving as president of the Student Association of Social Workers. Mrs. Caffrey earned her master's degree in May and arrived here with her family in August. Along with her own household goods, Caffrey was able to bring boxes of unused dresses with plans on having a successful program in her new community. "I think that prom is a piece of high school legacy," she said. "Foster children miss out so many times in their lives - new parents, new friends, moving from home to home and maybe school to school. If they can just have this one little memory, it will instill a lasting impression." Ms Caffrey's efforts helped earn her the distinction of being named the Social Work Student of the Year for Mississippi by the National Association of Social Workers. . Although the program was originally designed to help foster youth, Ms Caffrey said they will be able to accommodate other girls who hope to go to prom, but can't afford a dress. Each girl can pick out one dress that she can keep or donate back to the program. She said that the base donated several dresses and she plans future drives to get the Cannon family more involved.