At Athena's Warehouse we believe that no girl should have to compromise a moment of beauty due to financial hardships. Today we're asking for twenty five people to give $20 to cover transportation costs associated with getting our girls to their dress try on appointment.

We were founded in 2009 by former State House Representative, Bee Nguyen, who wanted to share the joy of sisterhood with teens in metro-Atlanta. As the daughter of immigrant parents, founder, Bee Nguyen, watched as her father worked two jobs while her mother, with limited English proficiency, raised five girls in an unfamiliar country. Having fled from Vietnam, and after enduring unimaginable hardships her parents always emphasized the value of education and economic independence. Bee soon discovered within herself a talent for entrepreneurship and an innate love for women and girls. Combining these passions, Athena’s Warehouse was born to be a safe haven for young women facing poverty, and hardships related to their immigrant status.

Our programs bring students across various age groups, grades, and ethnicities together in a collaborative, healing space. Students work together to solve social issues through volunteering, advocacy and civic engagement initiatives. Student culture is uplifted and celebrated at every opportunity through music, poetry, free writing, and sharing meals together. We work to increase a participant’s connection to their cultural sense of self by providing culturally relevant programming, foods, and hiring staff which are similar in ethnicity and age to our student population.

Athena's Warehouse Inc. hosts the annual Prom Project to provide prom attire to remove the cost burden for families who cannot comfortably afford attire for their high school student; as well as to give gently used formal wear a second life.

Thank you so much for being a part of our 15 year long project!

Our project's mission is to provide free formal wear to low-income high school students in the Northeastern Region of the Greater Atlanta Area. We do this to promote student and family wellbeing by removing the cost burden of purchasing luxury items which might only be used once and discarded or outgrown. When students know their parents might experience financial burden they choose not to attend prom and may experience anxiety or mild depression associated with missing out on the event.

Since 2014 we have been proud to partner with The Sentimentalist, a mom & daughter owned bridal specialty shop like none other! With exceptional southern style service The Sentimentalist & their team can make any brides special day all that more fabulous.

Studies show that when students have a tangible sense of self that is aligned with their culture they tend to have a higher rate of self-acceptance and self-esteem. When students know the history of colonialism, slavery, and the long-lasting impacts of racial injustice then they are better able to form a stronger sense of self which helps them to conceptualize microaggressions and racial bias that they experience in academia making it more likely for them to persist through these challenges and obtain higher education degrees. We speak openly about relevant local, national, and international instances of racial injustice such as the story of Lake Lanier which we included in our conversation about how to start a career in Geographic Information Sciences. Our space places healing at the forefront of every activity, when students have a space to heal together working on their needs as individuals they have a greater capacity for compassion towards the needs of others. Racial solidarity is not easily obtained through subtle interventions so we are intentional in how we communicate this as a program goal to the students. We will achieve our community development goals by reaching more youth with the emotional support they need, continuing to break barriers to accessing therapeutic intervention and providing a safe space for discussing issues they and the community are facing.

Our staff and board are mostly of youth who have participated in our programming. Current participants can even join the Community Advisory Board of the organization, attend board meetings, join or form committees, and offer feedback quarterly through the advisory board. Students are surveyed regularly and have an open dialogue with the staff about program plans.

The Prom Project 2024

Eliminate barriers to accessing free formal wear

Team Members