By Paige Bright
Herald Intern
Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation is hosting its fifth annual Kaliegh’s Closet - A Pop Up Prom Dress Shop at Action Church Sanford on Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The pop-up features over 350 new and slightly used prom dresses for girls to choose from for a $20 donation to the foundation. Each girl enters the pop-up by walking the red carpet and is met by volunteer personal shoppers, assisting them through each and every step to find their dream dress.
Kaliegh Ottis, 19, passed away in a car accident in 2013, and since then, her father, Ken Ottis, and her community have worked to carry on her legacy through Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation.
“We knew that Kaliegh was truly into dressing up like a princess,” Ken said. “So, the pop-up was kind of that extension of, by doing this, another way to extend her legacy.”
Kaliegh’s Closet started in 2022, with about 30 attendees. Now, the pop-up receives visits from over 100 girls throughout the Orlando area. “The pop-up is now becoming part of the community, and every time we say Kaliegh’s closet, hopefully we’re able to follow that up with ‘this is about Kaliegh Ottis,” Ken said. “A lot of these girls get these dresses, and maybe this is the difference between them getting to go to prom.”
Along with Kaliegh’s Closet, Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation hosts other fundraisers and events, such as Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation Golf Classic, held in December. Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation was also the host of the Kaliegh Ottis Memorial Cheerfest from 2013 to 2023, before handing the tradition over to Lake Mary High School.
Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation also started an endowment with the (Alpha Delta Pi) ADPi Foundation, providing scholarships to the University of Central Florida’s chapter of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, the sorority chapter that Kaliegh was part of at UCF. Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation also started an endowment in 2023 with the UCF Foundation to benefit the UCF Cheer Team.
“There’s nothing more we would rather do than to be able to talk about Kaliegh,” Ken said. “One of her favorite sayings was ‘Don’t Let Anyone Ever Dull Your Sparkle.’ She was always one who never wanted someone to be left out, always wanted people to be included.”
Dresses can be dropped off for donation at one of the four Orchid Cleaners locations found in Lake Mary, Altamonte, Maitland, and Orlando. For more information on Kaliegh’s Dream Foundation or to leave a donation to Kaliegh’s foundation, visit www.kalieghsdreamfoundation.org.
