The Princess Project

april newsletter

editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:11:23 +0000

Get out those sharpened #2 pencils! Here’s a Pop Quiz: What has taffeta, tiaras, and tulle in more colors than the industrial box of crayons? Involves over 2,300 high school girls? Is completely run on the steam and dedication of 400 community volunteers and various sponsors?

Answer: The Princess Project! And this year deserved an A+ in making dreams real for high school girls.

In its sixth year, The Princess Project served over 2,300 Bay Area high school girls (in two locations)–more than any other year! An extra credit of good deeds, if you will.

The quick math on this year’s Princess Project Dress Giveaways and boutique nights brought together over 5,000 gorgeous dresses and sparkling accessories, over 400 generous volunteers, and more than 2,300 gracious high school girls who simply wanted to go to prom. Special thanks to our community sponsors, in-kind and cash donors, and high school contacts for their incredible support and enthusiasm – we couldn’t have done it without you.

In this issue:

*Prom Memories

*A Royal Salute to Our Donors and Volunteers

*Our Board of Directors

*The Princess Project in Press, Online, and on TV

*Donations…and Tim Gunn

PROM MEMORIES

Calling All Princess Project High School Girls! The dress, the accessories, the corsage, and hairdo…all make the grade for your upcoming high school prom. We would love to see you in that gorgeous Princess Project dress and hear any prom stories or stories you would like to share about The Princess Project! Email stories and photos to diaries@princessproject.org.

Graduating? Think about graduating to a Princess Project volunteer. If you’re interested in getting involved next year either as a volunteer or donating that fabulous prom dress for others to love and wear, sign up for our newsletter here.

A ROYAL SALUTE TO OUR DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS

Thank You to all Princess Project Volunteers and In-kind and Cash Donors!

You dusted off those magic wands and donned your best Fairy Godmother gear when The Princess Project needed you most. Thank you for your help during this year’s event!

Donors gave thousands of dresses and accessories, vital financial contributions, and a whole assortment of valuable in-kind gifts that made the events so special. Please visit our website for the list of our 2007 donors. And please support these wonderful businesses on our behalf!

And volunteers, because of your tireless work, over 2,300 Bay Area high school girls received beautiful prom dresses and accessories, making their upcoming proms truly special nights to remember. From dress sorting to event set-up, to serving as shopping assistants and then cleaning up, your tireless efforts made The Princess Project 2007 more magical than ever. We hope that volunteering with The Princess Project was a memorable and rewarding volunteer experience and we look forward to working with you in 2008!

A special thanks to Princess Project chairs Wanda Cole-Frieman (San Francisco) and Kristi Saso and Mary Ursula Hurley (South Bay) for their tireless volunteer work putting on this year’s extraordinary events.

A huge thanks, too, goes to the Committee members in both locations who paid attention to every last special detail:

San Francisco:Kate Brinks, Y’Anad Burrell, Nicole Caldwell, Karen Ellis, Rose-Ellen Fairgrieve, Annie Freccero, Gina Gracia Kimberly Kuni Harding, Carrie MacAllister, Kristen O’Donnell, Kristiana Tom, Nicole Turck Keen, and Katie Zimmerman.

South Bay:Kimberly Bellotti, Carole Carney, Brenda Chaparro, Liz Crites, Trudy Esrey, Lori Ferrito, Shellie Fry, Lee Goble, Arlene Hamacher, Jody Knauf, Mary Lacerte, Lisa Leese, Maureen Melehan Machado, Marianne McGrath, Debbie McNamara, Patti Micciche, Jill Montanari, Jaynie Neveras, Brigetta Olson, Mary Parden, Erin Perrucci, Charlene Raisch, Mary Roberson, Julie Robson, Joan Smith, and Abby Sobrato.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Would you like to get more involved as a year-round volunteer for The Princess Project? We are seeking members for The Princes Project Board of Directors. We need women that have the following skills: Technology; Development; Marketing; or Finance. If you are interested in learning more about serving on our Board and our needs, please contact Laney Whitcanack at Laney@princessproject.org.

THE PRINCESS PROJECT IN PRINT, ONLINE, AND ON TV

Extra! Extra! The Princess Project has made its way into print, online, radio, and television – because of the hard work of our volunteer PR team! Follow the links below to learn about The Princess Project coverage for this year’s dress giveaway events.

See us on NBC 11, Moving Pictures

Read about our founders in 7×7 Magazine

Read about us in San Francisco Chronicle

See us on View from the Bay

DONATIONS…AND TIM GUNN

The fairy dust from Prom 2007 has barely settled, but at The Princess Project we’re already gearing up for next year! Just $25 sends a girl to prom! Here are a few EASY ways to support The Princess Project.

1) Princess Runway and you. Join Project Runway’s own Tim Gunn and Splendora.com’s president Gina Pell at a fashion show and book signing on Friday, May 4 in Danville in celebration of Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality Taste and Style. All proceeds will benefit The Princess Project. Tickets are $20. Visit Rakestraw Books for more information.

2) If your closet is fresh out of taffeta, make a financial contribution to The Princess Project today! Donate online at www.princessproject.org.

3) A GREAT NEW PROMOTION – through April only! Stock up on products to pamper yourself or loved ones by purchasing nature-based products from The Body Shop at Home – at The Princess Project will benefit! Princess Project supporter Susan Cann is an independent consultant for The Body Shop at Home, a new sales channel of the global retailer, The Body Shop. You can find the same products you purchase in the store on her website. For every order you place, Susan will donate 20% of the retail price to The Princess Project!

It’s easy! Just visit her website and when checking out, type “PRINCESS PROJECT” in the Host Name field. Susan is happy to answer any questions you may have about the products, email her at schedulemyparty@yahoo.com.

Please pass along this opportunity to friends and family around the country! If we reach our goal of purchasing $5,000 worth of products through April, Susan will be donating $1000! The money will help us purchase LOTS of size 0-2 and 18+ dresses in order to welcome girls of all sizes, so please shop today on behalf of The Princess Project!

4) Shop online like you normally do. Support The Princess Project every time you shop – through www.FreePledge.com. By simply registering with Freepledge, The Princess Project receives a percentage of your purchase through one of 30 retail partners like Amazon.com or Macy’s.

5) Make www.GoodSearch.com your search engine. Every time you use GoodSearch.com, powered by Yahoo! Search to search the Web, you make a donation to The Princess Project!

another successful prom season

We wholeheartedly want to thank everyone for another successful season.

The future looks bright for The Princess Project as we strive to make high school prom not a test of limits, but an opportunity for self-confidence and inner beauty to shine through.

Thanks,

The Princess Project Team

Making Dreams Real

march newsletter

editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:11:19 +0000

A flurry of activity is happening in the worlds of college basketball and high school prom. At first they may seem unrelated, but take a closer look and you’ll see that they are really not that disparate. Both require months of preparation, a well-planned outfit, are frequently held at a gym, involve a rowdy crowd, have great music, and both are cause for March Madness.

Prom season has sprung and The Princess Project is counting down the days for our dress giveaways on March 17 and March 24 in San Francisco. Welcome to our March Madness Newsletter.

In its sixth year, The Princess Project promotes self-confidence and individual beauty by providing free prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who cannot otherwise afford them. This year we are looking to serve over 2,700 Bay Area high school girls!

In this issue:

*Dress Giveaway Details

*Get a Dress

*Volunteer

*Donate

*Extra Help Needed!

*Calendar Recap

DRESS GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Location. Location. Location. The San Francisco dress giveaways will be held at 988 Market Street in San Francisco. Please visit www.princessproject.org for further information on dress giveaway times, directions to the site, and more!

GET A DRESS

A prom perfect spring is around the corner! If you are eagerly counting down the days to prom (and spring break), but dreading the outrageous costs associated with prom? Before you call a timeout on Prom Season, The Princess Project is here to help! Gather your friends and guardians and come to our dress giveaways to get a FREE prom dress and accessories to make this year’s prom a truly magical evening. Visit www.princessproject.org for more information.

VOLUNTEER

Go, Team, Go! Donate your time, talent and taffeta. The Princess Project cannot run on taffeta and tiaras alone, we are a 100% volunteer-lead effort, which means we’re always looking for new enthusiastic volunteers.

We are specifically looking for volunteers at our San Francisco site on the following dates:

Monday, March 19 from 4 – 7pm

Wednesday, March 21 from 4 – 7pm

Thursday, March 22 from 4 – 7pm

Clean-up on Sunday, March 25, from 10am – 1pm

If you’re interested in volunteering, contact volunteer@princessproject.org for more information.

DONATE

Just $25 sends a girl to prom! Here are a few EASY ways to support The Princess Project.

1) If your closet is fresh out of taffeta, make a financial contribution to The Princess Project today! Donate online at www.princessproject.org.

2) A GREAT NEW PROMOTION – through April only!

Stock up on products to pamper yourself or loved ones by purchasing nature-based products from The Body Shop at Home – at The Princess Project will benefit! Princess Project supporter Susan Cann is an independent consultant for The Body Shop at Home, a new sales channel of the global retailer, The Body Shop. You can find the same products you purchase in the store on her website. For every order you place, Susan will donate 20% of the retail price to The Princess Project!

It’s easy! Just visit Susan’s website here and when checking out, type “PRINCESS PROJECT” in the Host Name field. Susan is happy to answer any questions you may have about the products, email her at schedulemyparty@yahoo.com.

3) Shop online like you normally do. Support The Princess Project every time you shop – through www.FreePledge.com. By simply registering with Freepledge, The Princess Project receives a percentage of your purchase through one of 30 retail partners like Amazon.com or Macy’s.

4) Make www.GoodSearch.com your search engine. Every time you use GoodSearch.com, powered by Yahoo! Search to search the Web, you make a donation to The Princess Project!

EXTRA HELP NEEDED!

Needed: A Few Good Men . . . and Goodie Bags!

Before the red carpet can be laid out for high school girls attending the dress giveaways later this month, The Princess Project is in need of a few good men and goodie bags. If you know of any men (or women) that can volunteer as security guards at our event site, please contact wanda@princessproject.org.

We have the dresses. We have the tiaras. We now need the bags. The Princess Project has fabulous loot from local vendors as a parting gift for the girls, but we still need about 2,000 bags to hold all these treats, as well as standard dry cleaning bags for girls to take home their gorgeous new dress. If you have any contacts that may be able to help contribute, please contact Kristiana Tom at kristiana@princessproject.org.

CALENDAR RE-CAP

Saturday, 3/17 & Saturday 3/24 – 2007 Princess Project SF Dress Giveaways 9am – 5pm

Sunday, 3/25 – Post-Prom: The Princess Project Dress Giveaway Clean-up 10am -1pm

We thank you for getting involved in any way you can to help make the 2007 Princess Project Dress Giveaways a winning success!

Thanks,

The Princess Project Team

Making Dreams Real

february newsletter

editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:11:14 +0000

Somewhere between studying for finals, negotiating curfews, managing after-school sports and work, high school became stressful. Before the sweet release of summer vacation, every spring prom smiles upon high school students — making life a little bit sweeter.

Prom has become an American rite of passage for teenagers; however, the increasingly high costs of prom prevent many girls from attending this magical night. To keep life and those fire-and-ice corsages smelling like roses, The Princess Project is here to help.

Mark your calendars: This year’s dress giveaways will be on Saturday, March 17 & March 24, 2007 in San Francisco.

In this issue:

*Princess Diaries: A quote from a past Princess Project participant

*Community Donation Drives

*Volunteer

*Get a Dress

*Donate

*Calendar Recap

PRINCESS DIARIES

“Thank you so much for taking a load off our backs and offering us a dress for prom. You have helped us make our childhood dreams a reality . . . I no longer have the mounting pressure of saving up money for the sole purpose of buying a prom dress. Instead, I can use that money and deposit it in my savings account for college. I want to thank the volunteers of the Princess Project who with their phenomenal kindness, generosity, and openhandedness have helped us pick the perfect dress out of the hundreds that were available . . . We all appreciate the hard work and dedication of the volunteers. We all know that without them, girls all over the bay would be sitting at home on prom night instead of grooving to the music on the dance floor. Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

- 2006 Princess Project participant

COMMUNITY DONATION DRIVES

A movement is happening in closets throughout the Bay Area. Dresses and accessories from proms past are being brought back to life to have another exciting night out through The Princess Project. Donate your nearly new and prom-ready dresses and accessories, like tiaras, wraps, gloves, and purses, to help make high school girls’ prom dreams a reality.

Beginning February 12, Donation Drives are happening throughout the Bay Area. Whether you’re on your way to work, the gym, or to school, next week there is convenient Donation Drop-off Location to donate those fabulous dresses and accessories to The Princess Project. Visit our website to find more information about Community Dress & Accessories Drive locations and times near you.

Or, host your own Donation Drive! Visit our website for instructions and a promotional flyer you can use to encourage friends, family, and coworkers to donate gowns and accessories.

All that Sparkles and Shines!

In the world of fashion it’s the icing on the cake; Accessories can turn a dress into a dream outfit. This year, we have contacted almost 300 accessories and cosmetics vendors in order to provide TONS of beautiful choices and free goodie bags for girls attending The Princess Project. But more contacts are needed! If you know of any contacts that may be able to contribute accessories or new beauty products, please forward their contact information to Kristiana Tom at Kristiana@princessproject.org.

Calling all dress shop owners and dress manufacturers! Contact us if you are able to donate new dresses so we can offer girls a diverse range of styles, colors, and sizes at this year’s dress giveaways. Email Kristen@princessproject.org if you can help out or have a lead on corporate dress donations.

VOLUNTEER

Donate your time, talent and taffeta! The Princess Project cannot run on taffeta and tiaras alone, we are a 100% volunteer-lead effort, which means we’re always looking for new enthusiastic volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact volunteer@princessproject.org for more information.

We’re especially looking for volunteers on the following dates: Every Saturday from Feb. 10 through March 10 from 12 to 2:30pm; On Friday, March 16; From March 17 to 22 and March 24 and 25.

GET A DRESS

A Night in Venice. Under the Sea. James Bond 007. Whether or not your prom theme is fantastic, you’re going to need nothing less than a fabulous dress. If prom is just around the corner for you and your friends, The Princess Project wants you! We are in the process of contacting local high schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area to spread awareness about The Princess Project. If you think your high school or another school you know of would be interested in learning about FREE dresses and accessories through The Princess Project, please contact getadress@princessproject.org.

DONATE

Here’s a new promotion from The Princess Project!

Stock up on products to pamper yourself or those you love by purchasing nature-based products from The Body Shop at Home - and The Princess Project will benefit! Princess Project supporter Susan Cann is an independent consultant for The Body Shop at Home, a new sales channel of the global retailer, The Body Shop. You can find the same products you purchase in the store on her web site. For every order you place, Susan will donate 20% of retail price to The Princess Project!

It’s easy! Just visit www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/susancann and when checking out, type “PRINCESS PROJECT” in the Host Name field. Susan will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the products, email her at schedulemyparty@yahoo.com.

Here are a few more EASY ways to support The Princess Project. Remember, just $25 sends a girl to prom!

1) If your closet is fresh out of taffeta, make a financial contribution to The Princess Project today! Donate online at www.princessproject.org.

2) Shop online like you normally do. Support The Princess Project every time you shop through www.FreePledge.com. By simply registering with Freepledge, The Princess Project receives a percentage of your purchase through one of 30 retail partners like Amazon.com or Macy’s.

3) Make www.GoodSearch.com your search engine. Every time you use GoodSearch.com, powered by Yahoo! Search to search the Web, you make a donation to The Princess Project!

CALENDAR RE-CAP

Monday, 2/12 through Saturday, 2/17: Community Donation Drive days*

(*Several locations are hosting drives past 2/17, please visit www.princessproject.org for further details)

Saturday, 3/17 and Saturday, 3/24: The Princess Project SF Giveaways

We thank you for getting involved in any way you can to help make the 2007 Princess Project dress giveaways a sweet success!

Because it’s more about a dress . . . it’s about giving girls choices they would not otherwise have. It’s about recycling. And it’s about creating a fun, respectful environment where girls can be treated like royalty.

Thanks,

The Princess Project Team

january newsletter

editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:11:09 +0000

Brrr, winter. As you fight the frigid air armed with scarves, mittens, and any blanket you can get your hands on, you are probably thinking spring cannot come soon enough. Ahhh, spring, a season full of warmth, renewal–and prom. Yes, prom.

In its sixth year, The Princess Project continues to promote self-confidence and individual beauty by providing free prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who cannot otherwise afford them.

If high school prom is merely a faint memory, volunteer or clean out your closet to donate that prom-perfect dress and turn prom into a reality for the 2,700 Bay Area high school girls we will serve this year. Read that again: 2,700 with your involvement! Itâ€™s enough to make you feel all warm inside.

Mark your calendars: This yearâ€™s dress giveaways will be on Saturday, March 17 & March 24, 2007 in San Francisco.

In this issue:

*The Princess Project Silent Auction

*Volunteer

*Get a Dress

*Donate

*A Royal Salute to Our Partners

*Calendar Recap

THE PRINCESS PROJECT SILENT AUCTION

Get ready for a night of fun and fundraising for The Princess Project!

On Thursday, February 1, socialize for a cause and help support The Princess Project at our annual silent auction from 6pm to 9pm at Dolce in North Beach, 440 Broadway Street, San Francisco.

Tickets are $20 and get you entry and a raffle ticket to win awesome prizes. While you sip something delicious and listen to beats by DJ Jay Luv, peruse and make bids on the eye-catching silent auction items. Silent auction items include great deals from local business, such as a Claremont Resort & Spa stay, dinner at PlumpJack, your own song-writing session with professional musicians, San Francisco Ballet tickets, a private lunch, tour and barrel tasting with the Stuhlmuller Vineyards winemaker/winery owner, and a whole lot more! You’ll be thrilled when you go home with your auction winnings all just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Must be 21 or older to attend.

VOLUNTEER

Donate your time, talent and taffeta! The Princess Project cannot run on taffeta and tiaras alone, we are a 100& volunteer-lead effort, which means weâ€™re always looking for new enthusiastic volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact volunteer@princessproject.org for more information.

Looking to volunteer at the giveaways on March 17th and 24th? Volunteer sign-ups will begin Friday, February 9, and fill fast. Look in the next newsletter for all the info.

GET A DRESS

Prom 101: If 3rd period gym class is still a reality for you and prom is just around the corner for you and your friends, The Princess Project wants you! We are in the process of contacting local high schools throughout San Francisco, the East Bay, and parts of the Peninsula to spread awareness about The Princess Project. If you think your high school or another school you know of would be interested in learning about FREE dresses through The Princess Project, please contact getadress@princessproject.org.

DONATE

Dust of the tiara and breathe new life into that gown by donating your prom dresses and accessories for our 2007 giveaway. We will be accepting donations from Monday, February 12 to Saturday, February 17 (locations TBD), and Saturdays, Feb. 24, March 3 and March 10 at our giveaway site at Market and 6th Street.

Start collecting gown and accessory donations now from friends and colleagues and host a donation drive! Instructions and a promotional flyer about hosting your own donation drive will be posted on our website shortly.

More EASY ways to support The Princess Project! Just $25 sends a girl to prom!!

1) If your closet is fresh out of taffeta, make a financial contribution to The Princess Project today! Donate online at www.princessproject.org.

3) Make www.GoodSearch.com your search engine. Every time you use GoodSearch.com, powered by Yahoo! Search to search the Web, you make a donation to The Princess Project!

All that Sparkles and Shines!

A dress alone is just a dress, but a dress with the perfect accessory is so much more! We have contacted almost 200 accessories and cosmetics vendors in order to provide TONS of beautiful choices and free goodie bags for girls attending The Princess Project. If you know of any accessory or make-up leads that may be able to contribute, please forward their contact information to Kristiana Tom at kristiana@princessproject.org.

A Royal Salute

The Princess Project would like to salute our three local partner organizations in the San Francisco, South Bay and East Bay areas. These three organizations provide valuable support to girls and young women in our communities and they help us reach girls to attend The Princess Project events. They also seek volunteers to help with their efforts, so please visit their websites for more information about how to get involved.

Girls For A Change catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. Girls For A Change provides the tools, resources and support girls need to move from being spectators to being leaders. www.girlsforachange.org

Girls Incorporated® of Alameda County is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Girls Inc. offers academic enrichment activities, skill-building programs, and counseling services to girls and their families. Since 1958, Girls Inc. has challenged girls to explore their potential, attend college, build fulfilling careers and expand their sense of what is possible. www.girlsinc-alameda.org

At GirlVentures, we are committed to helping girls sustain the clarity, voice and self-confidence that they risk losing during the difficult transition to adolescence. Our programs are designed to help each girl regain and sustain her “true self” by developing and expressing her strengths. www.girlventures.org

Another saluteâ€¦Maybe sheâ€™s born with a heart of gold: Maybelline Cosmetics has graciously donated 2,800 New York Shiny-licious Lip Glosses for the goodie bags this year! Thank you, Maybelline!

CALENDAR RE-CAP

Saturday, 1/27, Move-in day

Thursday, 2/1, Silent Auction at Dolce in North Beach

Friday, 2/9, Online registration begins for Giveaway Day volunteer opportunities

Monday, 2/12 through Saturday, 2/17, Donation Drive days

Saturday, 3/17 and Saturday, 3/24, 2007 Princess Project SF Giveaways

We thank you for getting involved in 2007 as a volunteer, as a dress or accessories donor, and as a financial investor. And we welcome you if you are a high school girl who plans to attend. Spring already holds so much promise!

Thanks,

The Princess Project Team