Clothier's project makes prom night a little less costly

Bell Buckle isn't the only Bedford County entity gathering national popularity through an Internet web vote. While the town is a top 10 finalist in Kraft Singles' "Best Single Town in America" contest, Calvin Cannon's entry for Pepsi's Refresh project is in the top 5.

Pepsi is giving away millions of dollars this year -- one reason why you didn't see any multi-million dollar Superbowl ads -- to people who want to make a difference in their community. The contest calls for applications every month -- and awards winners every month with grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000.

"I've been a big Pepsi fan for years," said Cannon, who rents formal wear out of his shop just off the square. "I get a lot of their e-mails. In February, I got one of their e-mails and I don't usually open them, but this one looked interesting. It was all about giving away millions every month for a year."

Cannon tried to think of an idea that would benefit Shelbyville.

"Since I was in the tuxedo business, I thought -- why not a project that makes prom affordable for everyone?" he said.

Helping out with prom seems natural for him --- he has already helped out his own nieces and nephew by providing transportation or tuxedos. Now he just had to sell the idea to Pepsi.

"One of the guidelines was a catchy name," said Cannon. "I came up with Clothe the N.A.K.E.D. Prom Date. The N.A.K.E.D. Is Nice and Kind Educated Dude."

The contest entries are divided into categories, both by the amount of the grant (Cannon's entry is in the $5,000 category) and by the intent of the grant: health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education.

"I had to tie my idea to education. In order to get a prom tuxedo scholarship, you have to have passing grades, sign the Prom Promise, and do some community service projects," he said.

He first entered in February, and while he didn't win, he went from about 89th place to 42nd so quickly, his entry was resubmitted automatically for the March contest. Since then, his idea has climbed as far as second place.

The secret to that rocketing climb was networking -- internet working, that is.

"I'm Facebooking it," said Cannon. I've got a big following on Facebook, and when you register to vote, you get two votes, one with your e-mail and one with Facebook."

He said he also had an alliance with another contestant who was submitting an idea in a different category. He would direct fans to her entry to vote and she would direct her fans to his.

With only two weeks left to go in March, and most of the county's proms still ahead, Cannon stands a good chance of winning the $5,000 grant, since the top 10 in each category are awarded the prize. He was already able to award prom tuxedo scholarships to two Community High students who had their prom last week.

"Someone liked the idea and got in touch with me," said Cannon. "Pepsi doesn't give names out, but he Googled me

and called me. He sent enough money for two scholarships."

On the web

To vote for the prom tuxedo scholarship idea, visit http://www.refresheverything.com/categor...