Project Princess Through The Eyes of a College Student

by Dara Mann, USI Student

Ladies, how do you imagine your high school prom?  Do you imagine looking and feeling like a princess? Or if your high school prom was in the past, did it turn out to be one of your best memories? How long did it take to find just the right dress? Right here in our own community, there are several girls who cannot afford a prom dress so would not have been able to participate in the legendary school dance.  On Sunday, March 24, 2014, two awesome women - Katelyn Buttram and Ashley Sollars (with the help of many generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers) helped those girls by putting together Project Princess.

Project Princess was a one-day event where current high school female students got to come and pick out a prom dress for free.  They had anything you could imagine.  There were many beautiful dresses in all designs and colors you could think of.  Accessories included: shoes, jewelry, purses, and makeup. They had several drawings for giveaways including free photo session, free manicure, and free hairstyles.  There were even a few things for the guys.

There were girls showing up from all the different high schools in this area.  Most came with friends and mothers.  A few also had their fathers and boyfriends with them.  Some girls found their dresses right away, while others had to try every dress they liked until they found just the perfect one.  Picking out the shoes seemed almost as fun as picking out the dress.  Once you found the dress next up was finding just the right accessories to match no matter what the style.

It was a great time for everyone who came but also a very emotional time.  One girl when asked what Project Princess meant to her said, “If it wasn’t for this she wouldn’t be going.”  Then she proceeded to tear up.  It wasn’t just the girls crying either.  One mother started crying she was so happy her daughter found a dress she loved.  Project Princess was a wonderful event that will help give these girls one of their greatest memories of their teenage years.  All the girls will look like princesses!