Tatiana “Tia” Morrell of Windham is remembered by her friends and family as “uplifting,” “generous” and “a bright light” in the lives of others. Tia was taken too young. She died in a moped accident in 2024, and she was only 28 years old.
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| The late Tatiana 'Tia" Morrell of Windham attended proms when she was a student at Windham High School and now her friends and family are remembering her by providing free prom dresses to Cumberland County stduents through an initiative called 'Tia's Prom Project.' COURTESY PHOTO |
Friends and family say that they wanted to find a way to remember Tia in a meaningful and lasting way because of the type of person she was.
“She was a very big person with a very big personality,” Samantha Erickson said. “She was the type of person when she came into the room you knew she was there, and you would feel that she would radiate energy. Even when she left the room that energy just stuck with you and you just took it wherever you went for the remainder of the day.”
Others agree and are happy to help with the project.
“She was just such a bright light in all of our lives,” Devon Jones said. “She would always make sure that everyone felt included and felt like they belonged. She would make sure people felt like they had a purpose and like they mattered.”
Tia was “high spirited and very giving,” her mother, Shelly Worthing, said. “She was always a light in the room as a child and always happy with a smile on her face.”
The inspiration for remembering Tia through Tia’s Prom Project stems from an event that took place when she was just in eighth grade. A new girl started school in Windham and Tia, her mother said, wanted to help the girl by buying her a dress to attend a semi-formal dance cruise that eighth grade students were attending at the end of the school year.
According to Worthing, the girl had a rough childhood and would not likely be able to attend the event if Tia hadn’t helped out. Worthing said that her daughter was independent and determined and once she decided she wanted to help the student there was no stopping her.
Tia enlisted the assistance of her mother and together they bought a dress and on the day of the dance cruise, Worthing helped the new student with her hair and makeup.
“I remember (the student) having the night of her life at that dance,” Erickson said. After that, people started talking to the girl and being nice to her. “They saw her as a person finally. It was just a huge turning point.”
Worthing said that led to this new effort.
“Samantha (Erickson) was the one that remembered that story and that’s what kind of started our project,” Worthing said.
Worthing and Tia’s friends have big plans for Tia’s Prom Project. The initial plan was to have dresses donated and available for Cumberland County school proms in 2026. However, people have already started requesting dresses for homecoming dances which take place this month and in October.
While the dresses are limited, they are available for those who are interested. By next year’s prom season, organizers say they are hoping to have several hundred dresses available for students to choose from. Eventually, Worthing said, they hope to work with property owners who have vacancies where they can house the dresses and students can peruse them and try them on.
Erickson said she hopes that girls will take pictures of themselves in the dresses and/or write a note about their experience wearing the dress on their special night which can be shared with other girls who wear it at a later event. In addition to taking donated dresses, they want to be able to provide accessories, so they are accepting donations of shoes, jewelry, makeup and other items.
“The idea really only came to life in May,” Erickson said. “Even in the first year we just plan to get bigger and bigger with this. So yeah, you know, we’ve only just begun.”
To find out more about Tia’s Prom Project visit their Facebook page. To request dresses for homecoming, prom or other formal or semi-formal school events, send an email to Tiaspromproject@yahoo.com or call Samantha Erickson at 207-747-7308, Shelley Worthing at 207-232-1967 or Devon Jones at 207-310-8869.
Prom dresses to be donated can be dropped off at 8 Turning Leaf Drive in Windham; 585 Roosevelt Trail in Windham; 781 Edes Falls Road in Harrison; 780 Broadway St. in South Portland, or from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Causeway Commons, 978 Roosevelt Trail in Naples; or call or email to have them picked up. <
