The Beginning of Happily Ever After…

A staple fairytale in the childhood of every girl is the classic of Cinderella. This iconic rags to riches story gave little girls hopes that someday, “the dreams that you dream will come true,” as long as you believe in them. As the tale goes, Cinderella cannot go to the ball because she has nothing suitable to wear; But, with the help of her Fairy Godmother, our heroine is given the opportunity to enjoy a magical evening, falling in love with Prince Charming and getting the happily ever after she so greatly deserved.

Fast forward to modern-day adolescence and it is prom season. What if you, like Cinderella, had only tattered dresses hanging in your closet? And what if Cinderella did not have the Fairy Godmother to adorn her with a fancy gown and an epic pair of shoes? That is a scenario that many girls who were not born into a privileged socioeconomic situation face come springtime. Luckily, there are organizations across the United States that have stepped up to act as real-life FairyGodmothers.

10 Organizations That Provide a Prom Fit for a Princess.

WGirls:

The WGirls provide underprivileged women and children with the support and resources necessary to achieve health, happiness, and the ability to lead productive and successful lives. Their mission is to encourage disadvantage women to rise above their circumstances in pursuit of education, financial independence, and self-sufficiency. Every year the WGirls collects and distributes formal dresses, makeup, and accessories to aide families who cannot afford prom materials for their daughters.

The Princess Project:

In February 2002, Laney Whitcanack and Kristi Smith Knutson received an email from one girl who desperately dreamed of having a dress for her prom. The duo responded by collecting dresses from their friends and family. Within days, women from all over the Bay Area answered with donations of their, “time, talent, and taffeta” and hence, the Princess Project was born. Since its inception, the organization has made Prom a reality for over 15,000 young women. Further adding to its inspirational mission, the Princess Project refrains from using body imagery in its marketing and outreach, communicating that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

The Perfect Prom Project:

The Perfect Prom Project is a registered student organization at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This great organization was founded by Autumn Griffin in 2005 when she made it her mission to ensure every girl in Champaign County could feel beautiful and confident on her prom night. All peoples involved help to provide free prom dresses and accessories, recognizing that prom is not only a great American tradition, but a milestone in a young lady’s life.

Abby’s Closet:

Back in 2004, Abby Egland of Portland was cleaning out her closet before heading off to college. She came across her pretty pink prom dress that she would never wear again and pondered the best way to pass it along. Abby’s mom, Sally suggested starting a volunteer group to give dresses away. To date, Abby’s Closet has given away over 5,000 gowns to make prom dreams come true. One of the organization’s first donations came from a woman whose prom was in 1985. This woman’s family had struggled financially, forcing her to buy all her clothes at Thrift Stores. Luckily she found a retro dress that made her feel beautiful and confident during a difficult time in her life. Her donation and donations like hers allow other struggling youngsters to feel special on their prom day.

Operation Prom:

Established in 2005, Operation Prom provides resources, opportunity, and mentoring to students in need. In addition to regular donations of dresses and tuxes, the non-profit goes further by offering school supplies and scholarships. This wonderful organization primarily assists children in financial need, those who are homeless, sick, or live in shelters and do not have a family to support them.

The Cinderella Project:

Dedicated to improve and promote confidence and self-esteem of financially challenged young women, the Cinderella Project advocates, Once Upon a Time is Now. Made up entirely of volunteers and based in the New York Capital Region, this non-profit aims to reward girls for their accomplishments like recognition for staying in school. By ensuring these girls have memories from their prom they are inspiring them to realize their own potential is endless.

Junior League of Tallahassee- Operation Prom Dress:

The Junior League of Tallahassee has allied with the GFCW Women’s Club of Tallahassee to make Operation Prom Dress possible. Acting as its signature community project, this operation opens its doors every year to the students in the Big Bend Area who might not otherwise be able to afford prom materials. This year, girls were able to shop from over 1,377 dresses in a boutique-like setting.

Princess Closet:

One day a mother in the Chicago area was watching her daughter and her daughter’s friend search for Prom dresses with limited financial resources. She was disheartened to see the two girls crushed and demoralized with a situation that could force them to miss a major milestone in a girl’s life. Women stepped up to donate dresses and from there the Princess Closet, Where Prom Dreams Become Reality, emerged. The non-profit volunteer group collects formal dresses, bags of cosmetics, shoes, purses, and accessories for its prom initiative. This year they collected over 300 dresses and outfitted 250 young women for their prom. Next year the organization aims to collect 1,000 dresses and eventually wants to establish a scholarship.

LA’s Prom Closet:

Springtime is a season in which many of us clean out our closets to make room for the latest trends and nice weather. This is exactly what Natalie Torres of Lennox, CA had in mind when she was elbow deep in her wardrobe. When she came across a handful of elegant and expensive gowns from her high school and sorority days she knew the frocks could provide something more than a monetary value to someone less fortunate than herself. After discovering there were no local donation locations for her slightly used gowns, she recruited her friends to create LA’s Prom Closet. Since its start in 2008, they have already helped over 340 students attend their prom.

DonateMyDress.Org:

DonateMyDress.Org is a National Campaign to encourage girls around the United States to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to those who cannot afford them. This website helps girls find the closest markets available for them to donate or receive gowns. With celebrity advocates such as Twilight’s Ashley Greene and Selena Gomez, the site has had a major impact on acting a wish granter.

What do all these organizations have in common?

Each one provides equal opportunity for young women who would not otherwise be able to afford prom. Just like Fairy Godmothers, these non-profits make awaken the Cinderella within every girl who dreams of going to the ball. By providing a magical evening, they are empowering these teens to pursue whatever happily ever after means to them.

Donate your dress today and help grant someone’s happily ever after.

Look in the depths of your closet. Do you have any dresses that have been collecting dust, that you have worn once and will never wear again? Chances are that dress could make a young girl feel confident, beautiful, and could inspire her to pursue her dreams. Your dress could be the difference between her simply accepting her current situation or deciding she holds the power to accomplish and achieve anything within the realm of possibility.

About the author: Kaitlynn Sharkey

Kaitlynn Sharkey is a Public Relations and Media Intern at Vivanista with an emphasis on event coverage and creative writing. She is passionate about inspiring and empowering women through her works.