Thursday, March 1, 2012
Article by Haley Innocenti
A girl sits alone in an empty house. Admiring from her windowsill, she listens to the celebratory cheers wafting from the lustrous, royal castle on the hill. Unable to attend the ball, she waits, she wishes for someone to rescue her, transform her into someone worthy enough for this grand reception. Almost all hope has been lost, shedding her last tear, her fairy godmother appears and the rest is history.
Many think that this Cinderella fairytale is one only told at bedtime, but today this fable has become a reality. Comparable only to those mythical fairy godmothers, groups of women have emerged, waving their wands and making these dreams come true.
One such woman, Allison Watters, is here in our own backyard, Nashville, Indiana. Her organization, the Glass Slipper Project, helps high school girls, who can’t afford to go to prom, make it to this once in a lifetime event.
“I felt led by the Spirit to collect prom dresses and accessories to help cut the cost of prom for the young women at Brown County High School,” says Watters. “This year, as we plan the fourth Glass Slipper we have very high hopes that we can do even more to bless and serve the young women of our community.”
However, the first year this project began, success seemed out of reach when Watters found that many of the girls were away at sporting events, unable to attend.
“Very few girls were able to come to browse the selection of dresses that we had collected, but we figured that if we blessed even one young woman then we had done what we were supposed to do,” said Watters. “Still, as we were putting the dresses away, I couldn’t help but think that we had failed.”
Just as Watters had lost hope, buses full of girls, pulled into the school’s parking lot.
“I probably gave away 30 dresses in that next half hour and it was revealed to me that was the way it was supposed to be all along,” said Watters. This annual event has continued to grow in success over the years, now celebrating it’s fourth anniversary.
The accomplishments of this individual organization are mirrored in similar projects across the United States. Partnerships have formed in countless states including: Alabama, New York, California, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, and many more, all with the common goal of making young girls’ dreams come true.
One organization analogous with the Glass Slipper Project, is the Princess Closet. Maria Davalos heads this Illinois project, which strives to make a difference in the lives of high school girls.
“The Princess Closet promotes self-confidence, individual beauty and diversity by providing new and virtually new prom dresses and accessories free to high school girls in Illinois,” said Davalos.
The Princess Closet first started when Davalos’ daughter, Isabel, was a senior in high school. “As a single parent, and a mother of 4, I have always struggled financially,” said Davalos. This hardship became more apparent when Isabel and her friends were deciding where to find dresses for prom. “I asked them that if there was a place that they could pick up gently used prom dresses, would they take advantage of this… and they said of course,” said Davalos. This sparked the idea for the Princess Closet, which has continued to grow in success since its naissance.
The success and philanthropy demonstrated by Davalos and her program eventually generated donations from inspired supporters. This allowed the Princess Closet to expand, now offering financial assistance to girls interested in furthering their education.
“We have not only transformed hundreds of young ladies into the belles of the ball, but have also promoted higher education and academic excellence through our Scholarship Fund,” said Davalos. “On August 28, 2011, we awarded our first two Scholarships to young ladies who graduated with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, were involved in community service, and showed superior leadership skills,” Davalos explained.
Now in it’s third year, the Princess Closet has sent hundreds of girls to prom, who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford the event. Two girls, Isabel (Davalos’ daughter) and her friend Edith, were able to attend prom thanks to the Princess Closet.
“My best friend Edith took a dress from the closet for prom that year, it was a beautiful dress; she re-donated her dress the following year and continued to volunteer,” said Isabel. “Other friends have been able to go to prom through the Princess Closet and this is great,” she continued.
Not only do both of these organizations, the Glass Slipper Project and the Princess Closet, help girls in need, but they also ignite a feeling of purpose in many of the girls they’ve helped.
“She has taught us that it is important to give back and help a fellow friend, student, or individual who is less fortunate,” said Isabel, talking about her mother.
Ultimately these programs express one thing – sometimes everyone needs a fairy godmother.
By: Haley Innocenti
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN.
Posted by Princess Closet at 10:28 AM 0 comments
