Glass Slipper Project, all girls get to go to prom
Though she’s normally a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl, Hailey Pitts, a Fayetteville High School student, is willing to make an exception when it comes to senior prom.
“I’m really excited, but it still kind of freaks me out,” Pitts said, as she browsed for dresses Saturday. “I always knew I’d eventually go; I just can’t believe it’s already here.”
Pitts is one of more than 100 Fayetteville juniors and seniors who will attend prom this year thanks to Project Glass Slipper. The program was established by high school counselors who didn’t want cost to affect a student’s ability to attend prom.
Leigh Hudson, an FHS counselor, said the project provides girls who cannot afford to attend the event with a dress, shoes, jewelry, accessories and a ticket.
“About a fourth of our student population is on the free or reduced lunch plan, which is up from last year,” she said. “I certainly think the economy is a contributing factor. A lot of families have lost their housing or their jobs, which changes their economic status dramatically.”
Hudson started Project Glass Slipper in 2007 by taking donations of prom dresses for needy students. Last year, with permission from the district administration, the donated dresses and other items were moved into a classroom at the old Jefferson Elementary School building.
“A lot of girls come here expecting to see an old elementary classroom,” Hudson said. “Once they walk inside, they’re all like ‘Wow!’ That’s one of my favorite parts. I love seeing their surprised faces.”
Now a hot pink “boutique,” the former first grade computer lab houses rows of clothing racks with prom dresses. In addition to dressing rooms adorned with zebra-striped curtains, the room’s old closet now serves as a shoe and accessory shop.
Students arrived Saturday during scheduled appointments for a private shopping experience.
“I’m not really sure what I’m looking for since I don’t wear dresses that often,” Pitts said. “All of these dresses are pretty. I think I’ll know it once I try it on.”
From sleek and long to short and sequined, the dress selection featured something for any taste.
Hudson said the Glass Slipper project received more than $500 in community donations along with numerous dress and jewelry donations from local residents, sororities, churches and civic organizations.
“We get an array of dresses,” she said. “I come in almost every day and have a new dress waiting for me.”
A $3,000 grant from the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation also helped fund the program.
Students invited to receive free prom dresses this year included the school’s homeless population as well as students who were referred by counselors. About 35 homeless students were enrolled at FHS in 2008.
“Most of these girls have never had anyone give them something like this before,” Hudson said. “Some of them are like ‘Do you want me to give this back when I’m done?’ I always tell them they can donate it back or wear it around their house for as long as they want. It’s theirs to keep so they can do what they want with it.”
Hudson said school counselors try to make the dressfitting a special event by sending out formal invitations.
This year, more than 120 students received invitations — more than twice as many as last year.
Most of the girls try on several different dresses until they find “the one,” she said.
“You never know what dress a girl will want,” she said. “Some only try on really conservative dresses, while others go straight for the flashy ones. The dress has to match their personality.”
More than 40 volunteers will take part in the program, serving as personal shoppers, assisting with hair and makeup, conducting alterations, providing refreshments, painting nails and choosing accessories.
“Having never had any girls of my own, this is a completely new experience,” parent volunteer Katherine Shoulders, who served as Pitt’s personal shopper, said. “I love the idea that this could make a girl’s dreams come true by letting them be sparkly and beautiful for a night.”
