News:

April 2005:

	Our very first Boutique was held on April 2^nd, 2005 at the Maloney Great Room in the Sarazan Student Union at Siena College in Loudonville. One hundred seventy girls from all over the Capital Region attended the event and received gowns and accessories, had their hair done by Austin Beauty School students and teachers and got makeup advise from May Kay Cosmetics. There was a lot of tears of joy from both the girls and their Fairy Godmother volunteers. It was a great day for all and we are looking forward to a bigger event in 2006.
	The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region received a grant of $1,000 from Stewarts Holiday Matching Fund. We greatly appreciate their support.
	The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region received a grant of $500 from Time Warner Cable.

March 2005:

The Cinderella project of the Capital Region will be this years’ beneficiary of the Boscovs’ Annual Prom Event and Fashion Show on March 12, 2005. We wish to express our sincerest thanks to Boscovs!

January 2005:

The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region received a grant of $1,000 from the Community Foundation of the Capital Region’s Standish Family Fund. We are so grateful for this generous contribution to our efforts.

Media:

March 2006

The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region was the beneficiary of the funds raised and the gowns collected at the Desmond Prom Expo held on March 12th which was held at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany. Over 600 people attended and we greeted by a multitude of prom vendors showcasing their goods and services. All attendees also viewed a fashion show of prom gowns and tuxes by Alyce Designs and Christopher's Tuxedos. The gowns shown were provided by Thoughts and Best Wishes in Latham. The event raised over $8,000 in cash and merchandise, as well as 250 gown donations for our organization. The gowns were modeled by local teens from Capital Region area high schools which were chosen at a Model Open Call held in February. The models competed during the rehearsals and the fashion show for many awards and prizes including: The Cinderella Awards-for collecting the most donations for our program, Fashion Awards, Runway Awards, Capital Region Prom King and Queen and the Capital Region's next Top Model. The Next Top Model winner, Lindsay Branche from Colonie High School will be flown to Chicago for a professional photo shoot and will be included in the next LOOK prom publication by Alyce Designs. Our sincere thanks are extended to all the guests, participating models, vendors and donors for making this exciting event a huge success and for supporting our program. We are looking forward to an even bigger and better Prom Expo in 2007.

The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region received a $2,000 grant from the Stewart's Holiday Matching Fund. This is the 2nd year our program has received a grant in support of our organization from this fund. We greatly appreciate the donations of all of Stewart's customers, as well as Stewart's matching funds, that help to make this grant award possible.

Time Union article printed

March 24, 2006

Making dreams for prom a reality

Project Cinderella arranges to give gowns to girls in need

By KELLY VADNEY, Special to the Times Union
First published: Friday, March 24, 2006

The Cinderella Project, which provides prom gowns to high school seniors, has set a Tuesday deadline for referrals.

Girls whose families are in financial need must be recommended by school districts, churches and social service groups to participate in the program. The project, founded in 2004, only serves girls who are referred by an adult from an organization. Girls are then invited to attend a Boutique Day at Siena College in April.

Girls can choose gowns and any accessories from the selection of donations, including shoes, gloves and handbags. The girls also get gift certificates for hair and nail salons. Each girl is provided with a volunteer "personal shopper," who acts as a dressing room attendant and helps put the package together.

"All of us who started the program came from divorced families," said Michele Kuhns, president of the nonprofit organization. "I went (to the prom) through the generosity of a family friend that sewed a gown." Kuhn said co-founders April Doin and Sarah Baker did not attend their proms.

Kuhn said about 85 volunteers are needed to pull off the day. Most are Siena students.

Barbara Oberdieck, the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district's social worker, sent about a dozen girls to the program last year. "There was no way that they would feel anything but attractive."

Oberdieck said the girls were given personal attention and had a wonderful time picking out their gowns. "Everyone was standing around saying, 'Ooohh, I like this one' or 'That's perfect."'

This year, the Desmond Hotel hosted a 2006 Prom Expo to benefit the Cinderella Project. Dianna Rios, Desmond event planner, coordinated the expo with Belinda Shumway of Thoughts and Best Wishes and Kelly Vavala of Christopher's Tuxedos. The expo raised $8,000 in goods and services and collected 250 gowns.

Forty-five high school students modeled gowns by Alyce Designs. Shaker High School had the greatest student participation and won $500 for its senior class prom. Lindsay Branche of Colonie Central High School was top model of the day, earning a professional photo shoot in Chicago.

The Cinderella Project does not guarantee all participants will find a dress in their size, but the volunteers try. The dress collection drive generally runs from July through October, but donations can be made at any time.

Kuhn hopes the project will help 250 girls attend their prom this season. Last year, 170 gowns were handed out.

Parties wishing to refer girls may call the project at 238-9474 or download a form at http://www.cinderellaproject.net.

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