http://www.viewnews.com/2009/VIEW-Feb-10-Tue-2009/downtown/26785417.html

February 10, 2009
The Prom Fairy, a nonprofit group, donates dresses to girls for big night

By DANIELLE NADLER
VIEW STAFF WRITER

Prom isn't just another dance. It's one of those nights that high school girls premeditate for months. For most, it's the first time they can don a fancy dress, high heels and real jewelry.

It's their night to be Cinderella.

But for underprivileged teens, the anticipation of shopping for the perfect gown and accessories is just a high-priced fantasy.

In November, several years after her senior prom, Natalie Winslow sat in the living room of her southwest Las Vegas home thinking of how she could clear out her closet. She nearly sold three of her former bridesmaid dresses on eBay before a light bulb idea came to her.

"I thought, I should give these away," said Winslow, a 26-year-old mother of two.

She imagined a nonprofit organization that accepts donated dresses and accessories and passes them on to high school girls in need. Her idea officially became a nonprofit organization, called The Prom Fairy, in December.

Winslow, a product of a single-parent family, said she knows what it's like to have little. She grew up in and out of family shelters, and her name hung on the Angel Tree most Christmases. In high school, Winslow took a job at McDonald's and earned enough money to buy a prom dress.

"I've been there, and I've never forgotten the people that helped me," she said. "I always wanted to do something to give back."

Winslow and her two friends, Robin Howe and Pam Jackson, took on the nonprofit's roles as directors. They designed a Web site and put out a call for donated dresses to friends, family and coworkers. They also contacted the Clark County School District, which promised to inform students of the group.

So far, The Prom Fairy, based in southeast Las Vegas, has roughly 60 donated dresses.

"I thought it'd be harder to get things going," Howe said. "We just dove in, and everyone has been very supportive."

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. employees are holding a two-week dress drive later this month. Other businesses have offered to donate makeup samples and hair and manicure appointments to be given to girls who qualify for the program.

To qualify for a dress, girls must be high school juniors or seniors with student identification and hold no less than a C grade average. They must be eligible for the free or reduced lunch program at school or referred by a teacher, a counselor or a church or community leader. Girls can register at www.thepromfairy.org.

Winslow, Howe and Jackson will host two boutique days, where each girl will be paired with a volunteer personal shopper to pick out a dress and an accessory, free of charge. The boutique day also will include refreshments and raffles.

"We wanted to create an experience for them, where they felt pampered, and they saw that someone really cared," Jackson said.

The Prom Fairy is in search of a place to hold the boutique days. The exact days have not been set, but most likely will be on two Saturdays in late March or early April.

So far, four girls have signed up for dresses. The directors' goal is to provide between 150 and 180 girls with prom dresses. Eventually, they would like The Prom Fairy to spread to other states.

Dresses, shoes, jewelry, purses and other accessories can be dropped off at five dress boutiques throughout the valley. A link on the Web site allows people to donate money. Donations will be used to buy plus-size dresses and to help pay for the boutique days.

Twenty-year-old Simone Pates admits it wasn't easy to give up her white, sleeveless prom dress.

"I really loved it," she said. "But I knew I wouldn't wear it again, and I just wanted to help someone out."

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http://www.viewnews.com/2009/VIEW-Apr-14-Tue-2009/Henderson/28012003.html 

April 14, 2009
Group makes prom dreams a reality

Girls who might not be able to afford dresses are able to choose gown, matching accessories

By DANIELLE NADLER
VIEW STAFF WRITER

danielle nadler/view~Deiasha Clark tries on a pink evening gown during the inaugural Boutique Day, put on by The Prom Fairy Foundation at UNLV Houssels House on April 4.

Local high schools may notice an influx of junior and senior girls dolled up and ready to cut a rug at prom this year.

About 70 high school girls were invited to shop for a dress, shoes and accessories on April 4 so they could attend what for many of them is their first prom.

The girls shopped at a Boutique Day, put on by The Prom Fairy, a new nonprofit group that collects new and gently used dresses to be given to underprivileged high school girls.

A dozen volunteers transformed the Houssels Building at UNLV into a boutique shop for a day. Necklaces, bracelets and purses were neatly displayed in one room. Hundreds of shoes lined a table in another, surrounded by racks of dresses. The girls made appointments from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to shop with a volunteer.

Natalie Winslow, of southwest Las Vegas, started The Prom Fairy in December with the hope to help teen girls have their special night out. Winslow, a product of a single-parent family, said she knows what it's like to have little. In high school, she took a job at McDonald's to earn money to buy a prom dress.

"I've been there, and I've never forgotten the people that helped me," Winslow said. "I always wanted to do something to give back."

Carmelita Ramirez, a senior at Silverado High School, had not thought much about prom because of the inevitable price tag attached to the event. Then she heard from a friend about The Prom Fairy.

"I thought it was too good to be true," Ramirez said as she browsed through the racks of donated dresses. "If this wasn't here, I probably wouldn't go to prom. I definitely would not get the dress I wanted."

Elizabeth Hinojosa, a senior at Desert Pines High School, said she did not attend her junior prom because of the cost. She and her friends have plans in the works for this year's prom.

"I heard about this, and now I'm excited to go," Hinojosa said. "It will be fun to go and hang out with friends, dance and have a good time."

North Las Vegas resident Gwen Prince waited outside a dressing room while her daughter Melanie Breaux, 17, tried on dress after dress at the Boutique Day.

"With all the expenses of senior year, I was trying to figure out how we would fit it all in financially," Prince said. "For a single parent, this is so helpful."

Breaux decided on a blue satin gown with matching shoes and jewelry. The Advanced Technologies Academy senior plans to go to prom with a group of friends.

Ramirez, who said she also will attend prom with friends, found a long gown, shoes and jewelry.

"I'm excited to just have fun, and in years to come, I want to hold on to that memory," she said.

Winslow and her two friends, Robin Howe and Pam Jackson, who also are co-directors of The Prom Fairy, said they expected to receive a couple hundred donated dresses to be able to help out a handful of girls. Instead, they received about 700 dresses, more than 300 of which were new and donated from local dress shops that downsized, Jackson said.

"The response was awesome," she said. "It just shows that people are still willing to help out others."

The Prom Fairy handed about 200 of the donated dresses over to other local charities and will hold on to the others for next spring's prom.

Contact Southeast and Southwest View reporter Danielle Nadler at dnadler@viewnews.com or 224-5524.

Non - profit organization helps teens take part in prom

Updated: April 23, 2009 09:09 PM PDT

Prom season is in full swing and every spring, teenage girls go looking for the perfect dress to wear to the big dance.

Many girls worry they'll have to miss the big night because of the cost but that doesn't have to be the case.

One organization helps makes sure every girl has a chance to be a princess. Most girls can agree the most important part of prom is the dress.

For some deserving teenage girls, the dress means a chance to be young, to be beautiful and to forget about their struggles.

"We've gotten e-mails from parents saying they've lost their jobs, lost their homes and their daughters wouldn't be able to go to prom," said Natalie Winslow.

Natalie is the founder of the Prom Fairy Foundation, a non - profit organization to help girls in the community pick out a prom dress for free.

In this tough economy, often the prom dress isn't on the necessity list and that's something Natalie understands first hand.

"I come from a single family homes and at times we had to live in shelters, always had people around to help us, we were the kids on the angel tree. I wanted to do something to give back," said Natalie.

Through donations of dresses, shoes and accessories the girls are able to shop until they drop or until they find that perfect dress.