Fancy Frock Thrift Boutique recently opened its doors at 48 South Main Street in Churchville, selling discounted pageant and prom gowns, special occasion dresses, shoes and accessories. The small boutique helps fund Worth More Nation, a 501c3 organization that works to uplift and empower girls and young women who have experienced foster care or other types of trauma and life challenges.
“We do that by encouraging girls to ‘rise up and sparkle,’” explained Sandy Arena, Founding Director of Worth More Nation and Fancy Frock Thrift Boutique. “Our initiatives and programs involve pageantry, fashion and also service.”
“Sandy means helper of mankind,” explained Arena, who lives in Pittsford with her husband. She believes in giving back to the community and has instilled the same views in her three biological children: a daughter who did pageants, a daughter who danced, and a son who played football. In addition, Arena and her family have fostered 13 children over the years.
“Our first experience with fostering was really eye opening,” said Arena. “I couldn’t believe some of the underserved communities that were within 15 minutes from our house. It was heart breaking to me. Once you see it, you want to change it to make the world a better place.”
Individuals may have their own preconceived notions of pageantry, and Arena admits that she did at first, too. “My youngest daughter begged me to do a pageant. I said, ‘absolutely not’ but finally agreed to it and was opened up to a whole new world people don’t know of: positive pageantry,” said Arena. “I saw how pageantry offered community service, confidence and the ability to develop transferable skills for young ladies. It was a template for helping girls achieve their dreams.”
This opportunity was also wrapped around the fun stuff – the sparkles, fashion, being on stage.
During one particular pageant, Arena’s foster daughter (who had been experiencing homelessness at the time) stayed with them at a hotel. “We dressed her up and took her to all of the events. And I saw something change in her that week. She was holding her head higher and becoming more confident,” said Arena.
Worth More Nation was born in 2018 from that surprising experience.
“I believe that what you see in yourself is what you become,” said Arena. “We decided that we’d do a pageant. Those experiences are very expensive and not very accessible to many families. But I wanted all girls to have that chance to be on stage, to be seen, to build those confidence-building skills.”
Girls ages five and older who have experienced foster care, trauma or other life challenges are welcome to participate in the free Miss Worth More Nation Community Pageant.
“We tend to have 10 to 25 girls in each pageant. Most of them come to us through a referral from a counselor or mental health professional,” said Arena. Having lived in multiple homes during her childhood and experiencing lots of instability, it is important for Sandy and her husband to give back to children, like how other people gave to her. “If there is a girl who thinks they can benefit from the program, we aren’t going to turn them away.”
Ahead of time, participants receive instructional videos to practice their personal introductions. They also visit the Fancy Frock Thrift Boutique to pick out and get fitted in a complimentary cocktail dress for personal introductions and a gown for the formal wear portion of the pageant.
On the day of the pageant, every girl participates in hands-on workshops where mentors help them work on their walk, personal introductions and staging. Afterwards, participants go through a professional pageant experience, complete with a professional photographer, in front of friends and family members.
What makes Worth More Nation pageants different from others, is that there are no winners or judging. Every pageant participant receives a gorgeous crown and banner, getting named Miss Worth More Nation.
“Pageant professionals, our version of judges, are there as encouragers. Rather than scoring the participants, they write down words of encouragement, so every girl goes home with a packet of compliments,” said Arena.
Girls are made to feel like queens during the experience and be reminded of their worth.
“We’re trying to instill that a crown, a banner and a fancy dress do not provide worth to a young lady or to anyone. These are special moments for you to remember and reflect upon and see what you can be,” explained Arena. “Anything that has happened to you in your life, is not who you are. You are worth more, no matter what you’ve been through.”
After participating in the pageant, girls are welcome to represent Worth More Nation as a national ambassador or titleholder. In addition to participating in the pageant, ambassadors and titleholders commit to one community service activity per month and follow a code of conduct. The fees from these programs help keep the community pageant free for first-time participants.
Worth More Nation also raises funds by hosting an annual fashion show – this year, taking place on September 28 – and sales through the Fancy Frock Thrift Boutique, which is open to the public Thursday through Saturday and by appointment. The organization happily accepts new or gently loved special occasion dresses for Fancy Frock, items for pageant goodie-bags, like makeup, hair scrunchies, jewelry and socks, or monetary donations. They’re also always looking for more volunteers.
For more information, visit https://worthmorenation.com or https://www.facebook.com/WorthMoreNation.
Pageant photos by Bob Schultz Photography
