On the last day before spring break, Mrs. Bradley and Ms. Evie took around 15 seniors to Cinderella’s Closet to pick out prom dresses…for free!
Cinderella’s Closet is operated by the Junior League of Tucson, a women’s organization whose mission is to “…advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.” Cinderella’s Closet is “…a program dedicated to providing free formal wear and accessories to teenagers in Southern Arizona. We believe that every student deserves to attend their school dances—whether it’s homecoming, winter formal, or prom (or other special events!)—without financial barriers standing in the way.”
Mrs. Bradley is currently a sustainer in the Junior League of Tucson but has been a member since 2007 and served as an active member for 10 years. Her mother had friends in the Junior League and always knew about and encouraged her to join when a coworker took her to a few events and told Mrs. Bradley to join.
“I’ve watched it become a luxury that some students can no longer afford,” Mrs. Bradley said. She organized the trip because she has seen the prices of prom tickets, dresses, hair, makeup, and everything else included in prom traditions skyrocket. After having conversations with students in her office about their probability of attending prom due to the prices, she believes,”…it’s an amazing tradition that children shouldn’t have to miss out on.” This allowed her to combine something she does outside of school with Sahuro, and she plans to continue this as an annual field trip and take another trip before winter formal that will include underclassmen.
The outing took place at Cinderella’s Closet’s boutique located on the Junior League of Tucson campus (2099 E. River Road), right before their big prom extravaganza event on March 15th. The boutique is filled to the brim with beautiful dresses, shoes, bags, jewelry, makeup, and period products that the girls can take.
Girls from all corners of the school with varying styles attended, and everyone enjoyed a day of trying on dresses together. This trip became a day to celebrate girlhood and hype each other up as we tried on stunning dresses that brought out our inner and outer beauty. Each girl left that day with a dress they liked!
Montana Poe went on the trip with her friends more for the “fun experience.” She spent the trip making memories with her friends because she is going to miss this time in her life. She found a lot of dresses she loved, but the sizes didn’t always fit right. Although she won’t be wearing the dress she found for prom, she was grateful to find a nice dress she loved and that she can wear for formal events in the future.
Students can book an appointment by contacting Cinderella’s Closet through this email [email protected]. They have a flexible schedule, so students just need to include the days and times that work best for them in the email. Group events can also be planned for schools and organizations to bring a group of students to find their dream dress.
At the end of the trip, Mrs. Bradley stressed the importance of donating the dresses back to Cinderella’s Closet when students were done with them. This ensures that the dresses get a new life, and it goes back into the community. Anyone can donate their formal dresses to Cinderella’s Closet by going to any Sparkle Cleaners location, their title sponsor, and specifying that you want to donate the dress to Cinderella’s Closet.
This trip provided a meaningful opportunity for Sahuaro seniors to find a dress they love despite the cost, and have their Cinderella moment!
