Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 24 2008 2:08 pm
Like real-life Cinderellas, hundreds of teenage girls are attending their high-school proms with the help of fairy godmothers who dressed them up for free.
"It's an important event in a girl's life. We want them to feel like princesses," said Janice Trumpp, one of those fairy godmothers. Trumpp is a member of the Elks Ladies of Flagstaff Elks Lodge No. 499, which runs a program to collect and distribute donated formal wear.
Trumpp didn't go to her prom because there wasn't extra money for that sort of thing. For eight years, she has coordinated the Elks Ladies' program, giving donated formal wear, shoes and accessories to girls who can't afford to dress up for prom.
Last month, about 200 girls from Flagstaff, Winslow and Holbrook picked out prom dresses from those the Elks Ladies collected. Even more dresses were sent to teens in White Cone and Fort Defiance.
In Tempe, 290 girls took home gowns in March from the Cinderella Affair, a similar project run by the Tempe Community Council.
The Cinderella Affair was started six years ago to help underprivileged girls, though prom is now so expensive, the program applies to anyone, said Emma Bordner, the project's manager.
With dresses costing $100 to $300 on top of dinner, tickets, pictures and flowers, prom can cost upwards of $600.
Through these programs, women donate prom dresses, bridesmaid gowns and other formal attire. In Tempe, girls only had to show a school ID to pick out a dress. In Flagstaff, teens brought a can of food for a local food bank for the chance to look at the gowns.
The groups arrange dresses as a store would, sorting them on racks by size and color. Volunteers help girls find the perfect dress, if not shoes and accessories. Women sew hems and shoulder straps for a better fit.
In Tempe, East Valley Women's League volunteers sort through dresses to make sure they're in good condition and they're something that teenage girls would want to wear. Anything too dated is donated to other agencies.
Trumpp said her group often gets designer labels, some with price tags still attached.
"It's really nice being able to match up dresses to girls," she said. "You see the sparkle in their eyes, saying, 'Oh, yeah. This will work.' "
Cinderella Affair and the Elks Ladies have already distributed their prom dresses this year, but the programs accept donations year-round.
If Bordner had her own fairy godmother, she would ask for a donated space where the Cinderella Affair could set up permanently, allowing girls to choose gowns year-round for homecoming and other fancy dances, in addition to prom.
How to help
New or gently used formal dresses, evening bags, wraps, jewelry and shoes can be dropped off year-round. Sponsors and cash donations also are needed.
- Cinderella Affair, a Tempe Community Council project, holds an annual dress drive in February. You also can drop off donations from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 34 E. Seventh St., Building A, Tempe. Details: 480-858-2300 or! cinderellaaffair.org.
- Fairy Godmothers of Flagstaff, also known as the Elks Ladies of Flagstaff Elks Lodge No. 499, accepts donations in care of Janice Trumpp at the Elks Lodge, 2101 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Details: 928-526-2053 or hometown.aol.com/storybook! bridal/godmothers.
