{"id":250988,"date":"2026-06-01T16:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/250988\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:21:13","slug":"brooklyn-foster-care-survivor-launches-free-prom-giveaway-for-high-school-seniors-in-need-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/250988\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn foster care survivor launches free prom giveaway for high school seniors in need \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a folding rack inside a Clinton Hill art space<\/a>, prom dresses in every color hang beside tuxedos, heels and makeup kits \u2014 all free for students who thought the milestone would pass them by.<\/p>\n

Behind it all is Seinna \u201cCee\u201d Brooks, a 26-year-old foster care survivor who turned her own experiences with poverty, bullying and instability into a mission to make sure local seniors feel celebrated, confident and seen.<\/p>\n

Brooks\u2019 free prom giveaway is for 13 Brooklyn high school seniors who might otherwise be unable to afford to attend one of the biggest milestones of their teenage years. The event, running through June 30 at Recess Art, provides free dresses, tuxedos, haircuts, makeup and glam services to students.<\/p>\n

\"PromBrooks\u2019 giveaway is located at Recess Art in Clinton Hill, as part of her fellowship.Photo courtesy of Cee Brooks<\/p>\n

After a sponsor unexpectedly pulled out at the last minute, Brooks said she decided to fund the project herself through her fellowship at Recess Art while also turning to community donations and a GoFundMe<\/a> campaign to keep the event alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI funded this whole thing by myself,\u201d Brooks told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cI marketed and curated this project by myself, even when people were against me. And because seeing them happy is letting these people know that you don\u2019t have to have money to feel good and look good, and to be able to celebrate your success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is deeply personal for Brooks. She said she grew up in a low-income Brooklyn neighborhood, raised by Jamaican immigrants, while navigating a divided family life. She entered foster care as a teenager and remained in the system until she was 21.<\/p>\n

\"PromBrooks\u2019 told Brooklyn Paper that the project is entirely self-funded, also relying on donations through GoFundMe.Photo courtesy of Cee Brooks<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople wouldn\u2019t even believe in me graduating high school,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cBy the time I reached 11th grade, I was like, \u2018I want to see different. I want a new environment. I want more for myself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks said she struggled academically early in high school before turning things around through tutoring and after-school programming. She eventually graduated with awards for academic achievement and improvement before earning a business degree in 2023.<\/p>\n

Her journey to get there, she said, was far from easy.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was six of us in a two-bedroom apartment,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have cable. We didn\u2019t get Wi-Fi until like 2014. I used to go to the library or stick my phone out the window using a free hotspot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"promAside from dresses, Brooks is providing makeup, hairstyling and haircuts.Photo courtesy of Cee Brooks<\/p>\n

Brooks also spoke candidly about battling depression and bullying as a teenager.<\/p>\n

\u201cMental health is real,\u201d she said. \u201cChildren do suffer from insecurity, they do suffer from depression. I know how it feels to feel bad about yourself but still try to act like it\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those experiences now drive the mission behind the prom giveaway. Rather than handing students pre-selected outfits, Brooks said she intentionally creates a boutique-like environment where seniors can choose their own looks and feel celebrated instead of pitied.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want this to feel like a handout,\u201d she said. \u201cI want this to feel like a helping hand. I want you to feel like somebody is here and excited for your prom journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event has already had a profound impact. Brooks recalled spending nearly two weeks searching for a plus-size dress for one student who had been turned away from other giveaways because they did not carry her size.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept saying I\u2019m not going to stop until I find her a dress,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cShe walked away with her dream dress yesterday, and she was so happy. Her mother was so happy, and I needed that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Rows of prom dresses in every shade fill a folding rack at Recess Art in Clinton Hill.Photo courtesy of Cee Brooks<\/p>\n

The giveaway is not just about clothing, but restoring confidence and showing young people they are worthy of care and celebration, regardless of financial circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not just giving away dresses here,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m really giving away love, genuine support.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The giveaway is open to high school seniors only. Donations of dresses, tuxedos, shoes and accessories may be dropped off Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at 46 Washington Ave. in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Brooks said she hopes the project inspires students the same way mentors and supporters once inspired her.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to have money to feel beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cThese kids worked hard. They deserve to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a folding rack inside a Clinton Hill art space, prom dresses in every color hang beside tuxedos,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250989,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,10454,100,99,97897,4308,2025,25654,79088,97898,267,2190,9,24,19343,63,97899,97900,97901,84030],"class_list":["post-250988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-events","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-cee-brooks","tag-clinton-hill","tag-community-news","tag-community-support","tag-foster-care","tag-high-school-seniors","tag-local-news","tag-mental-health","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nonprofit","tag-nyc","tag-prom-dresses","tag-prom-giveaway","tag-recess-art","tag-youth-programs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}