ALGreaterPlacer-Nuggets

Written by Sandy Johnson

Just like the “Cinderella” fairy tale, Assistance League of Greater Placer has TEN FAIRY GODMOTHERS working their magic in assisting local high school girls with obtaining affordable, stylish dresses for Homecoming and Prom events.

In April 2016, a planned series of future dress events was nurtured by Head Fairy Godmother, Sherri Ewoldt, and member volunteer Godmothers:  Carol Brock, Claire Dendinger, June Haugen, Dixie Johnson, Sandy Johnson, Juanita McCoy, Cammy Morgan, Bobbie Powell, and Barbara This.

Placer County area high schools were contacted to verify the need and in turn we received not only validation but also the support of the local schools. Within five months, the Fairy Godmothers and many helpers had collected over 150 dresses for both Homecoming and Prom.

Three Homecoming Dress Events were held for the High School girls in September and one in early October at our Assistance League of Greater Placer THRIFT SHOP located at 1263 Grass Valley Highway in Auburn. The High Schools participating were Placer High, Bear River High, Forest Lake, Colfax, and Foresthill.  The Homecoming dresses ranged from $8.00 to $25.00 and shoes for $4.00.

Approximately 40 dresses were purchased for Homecoming by the girls and their parents or relatives.  Everyone was delighted with how beautiful and affordable the dresses were, as well as the variety available.  One excited young lady who found the perfect dress, shoes and purse proudly said, “Now I will be able to go to Homecoming!”

The Homecoming Dress Events validated the need for future events and demonstrated there is clientele who appreciate and want these types of dresses.  We are taking what we learned from the Homecoming experience and incorporating it into the Dress Events that we will be offering for the High School Winter Ball and Proms. We learned that our shopping events need to be held with adequate lead time before the school dances.  This was demonstrated by the heavier turnout for the Homecoming Dress Events held in early September versus the lower turnout for late September and October events. We are also hoping the girls that participated in the Dress Events will spread the word about the beautiful dresses available at our Thrift Shop and their very affordable prices, and in turn,  donate back a dress or two when they shop for their next dance.

We are actively collecting long dresses for the Winter Balls and Junior/Senior Proms.  We already have many stunning dresses some of which originally cost over $300!  The long dresses will range in price from $10.00 to $35.00 and shoes and evening bags at $4.00.  We will also offer discount cards for hair, nails, and corsages from the local business who have graciously offered to participate.  This is an opportunity for every girl to feel like a princess and dress up, have her hair & nails done and enjoy a special time in her life.

Going forward, our goal is to have the Dress Events open to ALL high schools in Greater Placer County. As expectations for these dresses grow and broaden we need donations of these dressier dresses to continue to grow proportionally. We also want to find ways to identify and reach those girls who simply cannot afford to purchase a dress even at our reasonable prices.

The seed has been planted and now we need to nurture these events by everyone checking your daughter’s, nieces, friend’s closets and re-gifting those lovely dresses to our Thrift Shop.  Help us serve our community and bring magic memories to young ladies.