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An estimated 1,000 high school girls will participate in Silicon Valley’s dress giveaway event this year.
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A wall-length blackboard displaying a bright pink tiara and thank you notes written in chalk greet high school girls arriving for their boutique appointments.
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The Princess Project Hosts Dress Giveaway Event
By Cynthia Cheng
A wall-length blackboard displaying a bright pink tiara and thank you notes written in chalk greet high school girls arriving for their boutique appointments at The Princess Project Silicon Valley. These girls are ready to search for their perfect, free prom dress.
A free prom dress?
The Princess Project is a Bay Area non-profit organization that has given free, donated prom dresses and accessories to over 7,300 high school girls since its inception in 2002. The organization hosts giveaway events in San Francisco, the East Bay, and the Silicon Valley. Based in Santa Clara, The Princess Project Silicon Valley hosted one of its many dress giveaway events on Sat., March 15th.
Mary Ursula Hurley, the 2008 Silicon Valley Event Co-Chair, believes that all girls should feel like a princess, especially during their prom.
“This event is also about empowering high school girls [who can’t afford the expenses of attending the prom], and helping to raise self-esteem,” Hurley says. She estimates that about 1,000 high school girls will participate in Silicon Valley’s dress giveaway event this year.
After the high school girls check in at the lobby during their scheduled appointment time, a Princess Project volunteer will guide them to the floor through the endless racks of dresses, which showcase dress sizes from 0-30. While pop and rock music play through the speakers, girls try on hand-picked dresses inside curtained cubicles and then come out to admire and examine themselves in the wall-length mirrors. Once a girl selects a dress, a check out volunteer in the dress section bags the dress and offers the girl a goodie bag.
Next, the girl proceeds to the accessories room where volunteers help her choose either a free evening bag, pashmina, tiara or a piece of jewelry to complement her new dress. On their way out, girls can visit the refreshments area for some complimentary cookies, brownies or Rice Krispies treats. Before they leave, many girls stop by one of the blackboards to write thank you notes to The Princess Project.
The high school girls’ mothers are also thankful for The Princess Project.
Elizabeth Flores, San Jose, has two daughters-a 16 year-old and an 18 year-old. Both girls, students at Valley Christian School, are participating in the boutique event.
“I am so grateful for this event,” Flores says. “It’s hard to purchase dresses for two girls, especially since I’m a single mom.”
Debra Gallardo, San Jose, has an 18-year old daughter at Valley Christian School who is also attending the boutique event.
“I’m going through a divorce now, and my daughter has been going through a hard time,” Gallardo says. “So this event is perfect timing. We get to come and pick out a new dress and I get to see a smile on my daughter’s face.”
Although The Princess Project hosts a dress and accessory drive only once a year, financial contributions are welcome year-round. Raised funds go towards event coordination, dress purchases, dry-cleaning, publicity materials, storage space, equipment and supplies.
