By Joyce DeWallace, Contributing Writer
Marlborough– Instead of “Queen for a Day” the Marlborough Junior Woman's Club (JWC) members are creating a “Princess for a Day” experience for area teens who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend their proms.
Kerry Higgins, one of the organizers, explained.
“Our goal is to help qualified girls get to the prom by easing the financial burden for them and their families,” Higgins said.
The Metrowest Princess Boutique will be held Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, 215 Fitchburg St. in Marlborough, thanks to the effort of over 100 local volunteers. Girls who qualify for the program are guided through the process by volunteer personal shoppers. The participants get to pick out a prom dress, along with all the matching accessories. Denise Ryan, a club member and a Mary Kay consultant, provides a make-up sampler kit.
Elizabeth Young is the co-chair of the event and vice president of the club.
“It's a wonderful event that brings the whole club together,” Young said. “Some time in May, a young girl is going to have a wonderful night because of the Princess Boutique.”
The volunteers work all year to make the boutique a magical experience. The gym is set up like a department store with 25 racks of dresses hung by size and color. The perimeter of the room displays wide selections of shoes, jewelry, shawls and cosmetics. Each girl has a shopping bag for her belongings. The locker room is changed into a dressing room lined with mirrors. The aim is to create a very special shopping experience.
Many individuals and corporations make the Princess Boutique possible. Staples conducts a dress and accessory drive in all their corporate offices. Assumption College also collects donations to support the effort. Club members reach out to their circles of friends and family to gather material and financial contributions to stock the store. Last year, over 1,500 dresses were donated, so every “princess” can find something that's just right for her. After the girls finish making their selections, Champion Cleaners of Marlborough donates plastic dress covers to protect the prom dresses.
Five women, all members of the New England Association of Sewing and Design Professionals, an organization of professional seamstresses, bring their sewing machines and all the sewing notions needed to make on-the-spot alterations and repairs, then work the entire day to fit dresses for a custom look. Rebecca Nelson, president of the group, has even taken dresses home with her to fix something for the girls and then delivered the finished product back to the proper high school.
What else do the JWC members need to make this event a dream come true?
“It's all about the sparkle and the bling,” Young said. “We need costume jewelry. We could use more sparkly, pretty earrings, bracelets and necklaces suitable for teenage girls. We are in dire need of dress-up shoes; the most popular sizes are 7 to 9, and we need pretty, dressy, strappy shoes. We also need more large, plus size dresses, size 20 +. If someone has dress racks, jewelry display cases, shoe display stands or shoe racks, we could use those, too.”
It's a busy, hectic time, the culmination of a year's work. The day itself bustles with constant activity. Many volunteers shepherd between 150 and 200 young women through the selections.
“Let me tell you, your arms are exhausted from carrying all the dresses to the girls and back to the racks. We are constantly restocking and reorganizing to keep everything fresh. Our goal is to give them an experience they'se not otherwise going to have,” one of the volunteers explained.
The JWC is putting out a call for more volunteers. If you want to be involved in any way, the Junior Woman's Club of Marlborough needs you. You can be a personal shopper, help restock the dresses, reorganize the shoes, work the jewelry counter, help with the set-up and break-down, or unpack and repack the truck. A little bit of your time and effort will be rewarded many times over by smiles and lights in the eyes of area young women, who otherwise might not get to the prom. If you want to be part of this magical transformation day, you can volunteer or request an appointment by visiting the website, www.mwprincessboutique.com to fill out either an appointment request or a volunteer information page and request form.