The Junior League of Williamsport hopes to turn dresses into dreams with its second Cinderella's Closet event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21 at St. John Neumann Catholic Community Center, 901 Penn St.
Cinderella's Closet is a used prom dress and accessory sale held for teenage girls to help offset the sometimes prohibitive cost of attending prom, according to Shelby Weber, Junior League president.
"The event allows girls of all economic backgrounds to shop and find that special dress and accessories at an affordable price," she said, adding that other leagues throughout the Association of Junior Leagues International have participated in the event and the closest league that conducts the event is Scranton.
Weber said the nonprofit women's organization started the local project in 2008, after researching what was needed in the community.
"After the first year attendance of over 80 girls, I believe it was a correct assessment," Weber said.
For $10, girls will receive a dress and accessories to complete the outfit, said Monica Larson, event chairwoman.
All items were donated to the Junior League for the event. The group received dresses, shoes, purses and jewelry, along with unused makeup samples and salon gift certificates for manicures and up-dos to provide to the girls as door prizes on the day of the event, Weber said.
Last year, more than 400 gowns were donated. Due to last year's success, the group already has received 300 dresses, Larson said.
The Junior League's goal for this year is to collect a variety of new merchandise to satisfy the personal styles of the young women, Larson said. The group also increased the number of dressing rooms from last year and are seeking more volunteer "fairy godmothers" to help the event run more smoothly.
Fairy godmothers are women who assist the girls in looking for a dress and accessories they need during the event, Larson said.
"Cinderella's Closet benefits all teenage girls in the area by helping them with their self-esteem and making them feel good about themselves," Weber said. "It benefits the girls, as well as their parents, who can feel good about being able to provide a dream-come-true evening for their daughters."
The Junior League wanted to give girls the opportunity to attend prom, and feel confident and proud - because the real focus of Cinderella's Closet is about building young women's self-esteem, Larson said.
Weber added that the group received several thank yous from parents of the girls from last year's event.
Aside from this year's event, Cinderella's Closet will take place in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Larson said.
Weber said the Junior League of Williamsport is comprised of 196 members throughout the Williamsport region.
According to new member Missy Gutkowski, Cinderella's Closet isn't only about giving young women a chance to go to prom, but also focuses on improving young women's self-esteem. Attendees can complete a quiz about body image and gather information about self-esteem from Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty at www.dove.us. Also during the event, young women can write their personal mantra. Mantras from the Junior League membership will decorate the welcome area.
"We want to show girls that this event includes more than the opportunity to obtain a dress and accessories, so we are including this self-esteem information as a valuable asset to all women, but especially high school females," Gutkowski said.
Kristi Hammaker, a health and fitness specialist at Pennsylvania College of Technology and a new member of the league, will provide information for a safe prom night and beyond, and encourage the girls to take personal responsibility for their well being by understanding the dangers of drinking, drinking and driving, and how to handle unhealthy and-or threatening relationships.
Hammaker said she's collecting information from the Pennsylvania State Police, the YWCA-Wise Options, the Community Traffic Safety Project, the Family Center for Reproductive Health and Mothers Against Drunk Driving to provide the girls as they enter the community center.
Refreshments donated by local stores will be available for the attendees and their guests while they wait in line, Hammaker said.
To make a donation to Cinderella's Closet, contact the Junior League at 353 Pine St., Williamsport, e-mail jlw@williamsport.org or call 326-6097.
