The Louise R. Johnson Memorial Fund hosted a prom giveaway April 10 at Great Victory Christian Ministries, 559 Reid Ave.

The memorial fund, a nonprofit organization in conjunction with PACE Foundation, was created to help students achieve their dream of going to college.

Moriah Ballard, 19, granddaughter of Louise R. Johnson, helps Monaye Renbert, 17, of Cleveland, find a prom dress April 10.

The giveaway was held so prom can be more affordable for women who want to attend their high school prom but can’t afford it. Those who attended and found a dress, kept it for free. They also were able to find accessories to go with the prom dresses. Gift bags were given out to the first 20 women who showed up and several raffles were done for gift cards donated by local businesses.

The prom dresses are donated, brand new or slightly used with more than 250 to choose from. The giveaway is for Lorain County students and also students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

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Those who were unable to come to the giveaway and need a prom dress, can contact Sandra Ballard, one of the daughters of Louise R. Johnson, at (440) 670-3517.

The organization was formed after Louise unexpectedly died in 2010 of a heart attack on Thanksgiving morning.

According to the organization, Louise was active in the community and in church. She owned and operated Magic Touch Car Wash in Lorain from 1993 to 2006. She retired from Ford Motor Company in 1994 and was a member of UAW Local 425. She also was a Mary Kay beauty consultant.

Ballard started the organization in 2013 with her sisters Sheila Johnson and Barbara Winston.

“We did not realize how important she was to the community until she passed away,” Ballard said. “Her service was like a three-hour service and it was packed from the beginning to the end.”

For about a year after that, people constantly came up to Ballard to tell her how much of an impact her mother had on their lives, she said.

“No matter where I went somebody was telling me about something good my Mom did or how she touched their lives,” Ballard said.

At first she wanted to start something to collect money for the American Heart Association, but her husband told her she needed to start a foundation in her mother’s name. So that’s what Ballard did.

“And she always told us to be a blessing to others and give back to the community,” she said.

Ballard said her mother always had style about herself, which is how they got the idea to help young women be able to go to prom without it being expensive.

The organization has had two fundraisers, such as the A Heart & Soul Affair to raise money for the foundation. The ultimate goal is to collect enough money for scholarships for students desiring to go to college. Ballard said they are about $5,000 short on that goal. For now, she said she wants to give back to the community.

“And the first thing I thought of was prom dresses,” she said.

Moriah Ballard, 18, the granddaughter of Louise, said when she was trying to find a dress last year it was a hassle and very expensive, especially on top of the cost of her cap and gown for graduation.

She said it is a blessing to be able to help out other young women.

“There’s a hundred, it looks like millions, but there’s hundreds of dresses that girls can come pick from free of charge and just walk out,” Moriah said. “If you can be a blessing to somebody else, donate and give it to somebody else.”

She said her grandmother was very passionate about helping out other people, also adding that she and her grandmother were best friends.

“She just made sure I had everything that I needed and we played dress up all the time and we wore a whole bunch of makeup together and it was really amazing,” Moriah said. “To be able to give back to other people by giving them makeup and shoes and prom dresses uk, I know that doing it in her name is such a great honor.”

Prom dress giveaway held in Lorain

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