375 Girls Outfitted for Prom by the Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties
On Saturday, April 18th, 375 high school girls from throughout the Chicagoland area were given the royal treatment when they visited Cinderella’s Closet, a prom boutique organized by the Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties, Inc. (JLKD). The event, celebrating its fifth year, is designed to provide financially-challenged high school girls access to gowns, jewelry, purses… pretty much everything they need for prom – all FREE OF CHARGE!
Held at Aurora Community Center, Cinderella’s Closet opened its doors at 9 a.m. to a line of girls that wrapped around the block. “There were girls already in line at 6:30 a.m. when we arrived to finish setting up,” said Rosemary Piedmont, chairwoman of this year’s event. “Word has definitely spread about Cinderella’s Closet over the years and, given the current economy, we knew we would have a big turnout.”
According to Piedmont, girls came from as far away as Antioch, most accompanied by their mothers, aunts, sisters or friends. Several groups were brought in by school social workers. There was even a group of foreign exchange students who attended – all of whom left with dresses for their first-ever prom experiences.
“The goal of Cinderella’s Closet,” explained Piedmont, “is to help every girl feel like a princess at her prom.” At the event, girls are greeted by volunteer "Fairy Godmothers" who serve as personal shoppers as they select from among thousands of beautiful dresses, all current styles and many new with tags. Once each girl has found her dream dress, she then can select jewelry and other accessories to make her outfit complete. Dresses are packaged as if they were purchased in a designer shop and each girl receives a goody bag filled with beauty supplies and other prom-related items as she exits the boutique. Many of this year’s goody bags included brand new jewelry complements of Lia Sophia which donated more than $20,000 in merchandise to the event.
All of the dresses and accessories available through Cinderella’s Closet are donated by individuals or area companies. Thanks to support from the local communities and businesses over the years, the Cinderella’s Closet inventory is stocked with thousands of fashionable and age-appropriate formal dresses.
“We are continually touched by the amazing support we receive each year from the many people both within and outside of our organization who have developed a special affinity for this project,” said JLKD President Tracy Rogers. “This year, for instance, Torrid, a clothing retailer dedicated to empowering plus-sized young women, conducted its own dress drive in their area stores and also donated a number of brand new dresses to the event. It is this kind of generosity from caring individuals and businesses within our communities that has enabled us to make a difference in the lives of so many young women through this project.”
In addition to making donations, community members also get personally involved at with Cinderella’s Closet. In fact, more than half of the 130 volunteers at this year’s event were from outside of the JLKD organization, including seamstresses from the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals of Chicago, who provide on-site tailoring each year as their association’s annual philanthropic project.
Also joining this year’s event were two celebrity Fairy Godmothers – Linda Chappa-LaVia, State Representative for Illinois’ 65th District, and Alderman Juany Garza of Aurora’s 2nd Ward – who each personally escorted girls through the boutique.
Cinderella’s Closet is just one of the many charitable projects organized by JLKD each year. The group supports numerous community partners by collecting needed items and volunteering countless hours of time. JLKD also conducts a variety of community outreach programs focused on building dreams, promoting literacy and improving self-esteem among children in our communities, including:
· Children’s Waiting Room – a place for children to safely play in a supervised environment while their parent or caretaker is involved in court-related business at the Kane County Judicial Center.
· Fitting in Together – a program designed to transition girls from elementary to middle school in social, emotional, and developmental areas.
· Frosty’s Closet – a free outerwear boutique providing coats, boots, snowsuits, hats, gloves and other cold-weather gear to children ages infant through 18.
· Kids in the Kitchen – a project addressing the growing issues of childhood obesity and nutrition.
· Story Wizards – a traveling literacy program that encourages a love of reading in young children.
Anyone interested in learning more about JLKD and its service projects is encouraged to attend one of the following informational socials scheduled throughout the spring and summer:
· Sunday, May 3rd – 1-3 p.m. in Naperville
· Wednesday, June 24th – 7-9 p.m. in Elburn
· Thursday, July 16th – 7-9 p.m. in Naperville
· Sunday, August 23rd – 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Geneva
· Tuesday, September 15th – 7-9 p.m. in Aurora
Information also is available at www.jlkd.org or by emailing join@jlkd.org. The Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children at risk in our community.
