The St. Paul branch of Sisters Involved in Sharing through Truth, Action and Healing (S.I.S.T.A.H.s) and St. Croix Cleaners partnered with the St. Thomas community to ensure the ultimate prom experience for young Twin Cities women with the second annual Project Fairy Godmothers Prom Dress Drive and Giveaway.
The project is collecting prom gear for their upcoming dress giveaway April 2, with the hopes of making prom season a little easier on the wallet.
“One lady told me, ‘This is the happiest I have been in a long time,’” said St. Paul S.I.S.T.A.H.’s president, Cassandra Marshall. “That just melted my heart, and I knew from that day that we will do it again, and if the Lord is willing, we will do it again and again.”
Marshall started the St. Paul S.I.S.T.A.H.s chapter in April 2013 holding the first meeting at St. Thomas and adopted the idea of a prom dress drive and giveaway from the group’s Miami Chapter in 2014. The group collected 123 dresses the first year, the majority of which came from the St. Thomas community. With each year, the involvement and number of dresses has increased.
“Last year we had 400 or more dresses. This year, God knows. And we are still counting,” Marshall said. “It’s getting bigger and bigger. We hope to quadruple our intake this year.”
St. Thomas junior Alysha Nelson teamed up with her sisters to contribute to this year’s dress count.
“I feel like a lot of girls here have a ton of dresses they could donate, and knowing me I’m never going to wear it again. I could sell the dresses, but I’d rather just donate them to a girl who would really want them,” Nelson said. “I donated six dresses.”
Nelson has fond memories of prom and hopes her donations will provide ladies with the same opportunities she had.
“Every girl deserves to feel pretty,” Nelson said. Especially at prom.
This year, St. Thomas Division of Student Affairs is doing its part to help to increase the awareness of this organization by contacting local Twin Cities schools, making posters and recruiting volunteers.
Students, faculty and community members are also encouraged to donate their used prom dresses and accessories to Project Fairy Godmothers. Health Services donated shoes, purses and 17 dresses.
“The generosity of the community has just been great,” Marshall said. “St. Thomas is a very giving community.”
For Marshall, this event takes on a more personal note. She lost her daughter less than a year after starting the St. Paul Chapter.
“She didn’t get to see a lot of this, so that’s my push,” Marshall said.”I make earrings in her honor, and I will donate a batch of them this year to this event. Her name was Jamica Clarity — I call it the JC Collection.”
After months of planning, organizing and working to the point of exhaustion, the joy on the young women’s faces when they find their perfect prom dress make all the hours of dedication worthwhile for Marshall.
“I’m just so excited. I love it because all the hard work pays off for us when we have a lot of girls show up,” Marshall said.
Carolyn Meyer can be reach at cameyer@stthomas.edu.