|
Fairy godmother to the
rescue
By Michelle Hopkins
Pati Rita of Richmond
vividly remembers the day last April when she first laid
eyes on a particular 17 year old girl - someone she'd
never met before - in a ballroom at the Renaissance
hotel in Vancouver.
The teenager, who'd been
kicked out of her home and living with friends, was
about to graduate from a high school in Maple Ridge and
didn't have a thing to wear to this special occasion.
Rita, a volunteer with the
Cinderella Project, was about to outfit her, head to
toe.
"She was a little nervous
when we met, but was so excited about having an adult
give her undivided attention," Rita said of that initial
encounter.
"We spent four hours
together finding just the right gown, shoes, jewelry and
all the accessories.
"She chose a turquoise
beaded gown _ and she truly looked and felt like a
princess."
That's the kind of thing
the Cinderella Project does; it outfits and pampers
impoverish teens so they can attend their graduation
ceremonies looking and feeling like royalty.
Mission accomplished here -
especially after the young woman had her hair and
make-up professionally done, a photograph taken and
gifts presented, including a silver pendant.
The girl's happiness with
all the attention was reward in itself for Rita, as well
as her 23-year-old daughter, Jillian, who helped in the
cause.
"To think of this young
girl with nothing, who was happy with just anything, it
was unbelievable," the younger Rita said.
The Lower Mainland
Cinderella Project was started in 1999.
Its sole mandate is to
provide teens with the proper formal attire to attend
their high school graduation in style.
"Without assistance, these
students could not afford to participate in celebrating
this important milestone," said Burnett high school
teacher Judy Sponarski, who refers needy students to the
project. "Last year I sent two girls and it was the most
amazing experience for them.
"For the students to have
people who care enough to let them have a wonderful
graduation is a gift," Sponarski said.
Each year, the Lower
Mainland chapter of the Cinderella Project dresses and
accessorizes about 150 high school seniors.
They are referred by
teachers, school counsellors and social-service
agencies. Nearly half are chronically ill or physically
or developmentally disabled.
You can help by donating
"gently used" formal attire to the project.
This year's date for the
Boutique Day is in April and the project is still
looking for clothes to outfit even more grads this year
than last.
In Richmond, clothing can
be dropped off at Moore's Clothing for Men on No. 3 Road
until March 31.
posted on 01/24/2005
| 
