At Westbank Dry Cleaning, giving back to the community    with the skills and opportunities the business possesses is a natural fit. Owner William Charnes opened the company 23 years ago—on April 1, 1993—and said it was strong community support that helped his new business survive.

Now the company uses its services to help programs such as Prom Rack, which provides prom clothes to foster students, as well as Dress for Success, which offers professional clothing to women in need. 

“From a business standpoint, we strive to make a positive impact on the community,” Marketing Director Angie Charnes said. “Cleaning and collecting clothing is a natural fit for us. It’s an extension of what we already do.”

Angie started working with another prom program nearly 12 years ago until the program director relocated. She said she watched Gigi Edwards Bryant, Prom Rack director, in a news interview and contacted Edwards Bryant right away to become involved with the program. That was seven years ago.

“I really feel passionate about helping women and women-related causes,” Angie said. “It’s personal for me.”

Edwards Bryant has run the nonprofit for 13 years.

“I grew up in the foster program,” she said. “I never had anyone provide any rites of passages. When I aged out of the program, I wanted to make sure other kids had those experiences—like proms or birthday parties.”

Dresses, shoes and accessories are donated throughout the year until the day set aside during prom season for high school girls—first foster children and then the community at large—to shop for their outfits without charge. At the shopping event, Prom Rack offers the girls personal shoppers, dressing rooms and an on-site seamstress for minor adjustments. The final dress selection is paired with a gift bag and gift certificates for other prom items.

Prom Rack also helps boys rent tuxedos and shoes and has male mentors teach them prom etiquette.

“The big moment is to see the kids’ faces when they come in and then when they leave,” Edwards Bryant said. “They’ll ask when they go out, ‘Can we keep them?’ [We say], ‘Yes, they’re yours to keep.’”

Edwards Bryant estimates that 160 foster children and 100-150 students from the community participate annually.

However, for Westbank Dry Cleaning, Prom Rack is more than a one-day event. The company helps store, clean and sort the dresses during the year for the shopping program, Angie said.

“They’ve been amazing partners,” Edwards Bryant said of the business. “Side by side, we’ve done it all.”

Westbank Dry Cleaning also helps host a yearly toy drive and donates a portion of its annual proceeds to Project School Bell to fund local schools.

William said that since the community supported his business when he opened his first location on Bee Caves Road, it is important that he give back to that same community.

“I believe in giving back to the people who helped make us successful,” William said. “It’s a core value that I instill in my children as well as my business. It’s truly the measure of success.”

Various area locations including: 2700 Barton Creek Blvd., Ste. 140, Austin; 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin; 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin; 3300 Bee Caves Road, West Lake Hills 512-236-8601 www.westbankdrycleaning.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sun.