february newsletter

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.

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!

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.

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!

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