january newsletter

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! It’s enough to make you feel all warm inside.

Mark your calendars: This year’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 we’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.

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!

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 salute…Maybe she’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!

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 in need can be treated like royalty.

Thanks,

The Princess Project Team