The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge is a charity that provides free prom dresses to public high school students who cannot otherwise afford them. It is a volunteer, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in January 2008 by Sarah Dupree and Shelton Jones.
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The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge gives dresses to junior and senior high school students in East Baton Rouge and the neighboring parishes. In order to receive a dress at the organization’s annual giveaway, students must be eligible for the free or reduced lunch program at their school.
The organization held its second annual Dress Giveaway on May 7–8, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Baton Rouge. More than 525 students from 40 local high schools in 11 local parishes attended the event and received a free prom dress. Nearly 200 volunteers assisted at the event. Due to requests for another giveaway event, The Cinderella Project held a smaller giveaway on March 28, 2009 at Appletree Storage, one of its partners in Baton Rouge.
In the months leading up to the dress giveaway, the Cinderella Project collects dresses at various drop-off locations throughout Baton Rouge. In 2009, the group obtained more than 3,000 dresses from local residents and retailers. The organization also accepts volunteers throughout the year who help collect dresses, sort them and aid in the execution of the dress giveaways.
The Cinderella Project has six partners that provide monetary donations and other support for all of The Cinderella Project's events. These sponsors iare Appletree Storage, Macy's, IberiaBank, YMCA, East Baton Rouge School District and local Baton Rouge television station, WBRZ.
1. The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge Official Web site