For the past 15 years, Max I. Walker has hosted the annual Ultra Chic Boutique Dress Sale. This sale allows people to shop for dresses that would otherwise be too expensive at original cost. These dresses can be for prom, homecoming, weddings, or for formal occasions. This year, the one day sale has been postponed until further notice due to Covid-19.

For this event, Max I. Walker asks for new or gently-used prom dresses in a range of sizes to be donated for this sale. Every dress donated is then dry cleaned and stored until the sale, to make sure the dresses are in the best conditions. In a normal school year, each dress would cost 30 dollars. However, for last year’s sale, the dresses didn’t cost anything for any junior or senior interested. This is thanks to community partners and donors who made it possible to give these donated dresses away for free.

Max I. Walker, a dry cleaner and laundry service, started this dress sale as a way to give back to the Omaha community. The Walkers chose to do a dress sale as it fit their business model, as dry cleaners, and because they wanted to give an opportunity to women and girls to find a nice formal dress that wouldn’t cost a lot of money.

All the proceeds from the purchased dresses are given to the Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter. The proceeds help the organization further their mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s Disease by advancing their research and providing care and support for those affected. The Walkers chose this organization after a family member was diagnosed with the disease and experienced the financial and emotional toll the disease has on both the diagnosed person and their family.

“Alzheimer’s and other dementias disproportionately affect women so the Ultra Chic Boutique, with its goal of women helping women, was an obvious way to be able to raise funds for the local association,” Marketing director of Max I. Walker Stephani Dorland said.

The dresses that aren’t sold are then given to the Lydia House, who was the first organization Max I. Walker gave the proceeds to for the first ten years of this sale. During these ten years, over $125,000 dollars were given to the Lydia House to help provide services for women and their families. Dresses are distributed all around Nebraska and are also recycled as textiles so that they don’t end up in landfills.

This sale is a win-win opportunity for the Omaha metro. Students are able to get beautiful dresses that are affordable. The Alzheimer’s Association gains more awareness for this disease by those otherwise not affected by it. Landfills won’t increase in size with unwanted dresses. This event has been able to give back to the Omaha community and the environment.

“Only good comes of this event to all involved, and that’s the best any community could ask for,” Dorland said.