Years ago, when Rosie Brimley was two years old, she caught sight of a crowd of young women in a Belfast shopping plaza who were trying on glittering ballgowns, during an annual event called the Cinderella Project of Maine that connects high school students with prom dresses.
According to her mother, Becky Nightingale-Johns, Rosie begged at the time, “One day, can I go to the Cinderella Project?”
Now 17 and a senior at Islesboro Central School, Rosie has gotten her wish. On Friday, she joined approximately 650 other Maine high school students from across the state who are expected to receive dresses, shoes and jewelry for their high school proms through the program this year.
In fact, Rosie has already attended two previous proms during her high school years, each time finding a dress through the Cinderella Project — she wore a purple dress one year, a blue one the other. For her senior prom, she didn’t want anything too bright.
“Dark, formal, I think, sparkly,” she said, listing off the features she was looking for. “I’ve had very similar silhouettes each year, so I’m going for something different this year. Maybe satiny on the bottom, and I love to dance, so hopefully with a slit.”
A new prom dress can cost $400, while additional accessories may run up another $200. It’s an expensive luxury that not all families can afford.
The Cinderella Project was started almost 20 years ago, in 2006, as an inclusive way to lower the costs for Maine high schoolers to attend their night to remember.
It began when a group of Belfast-area women collected 13 lightly used prom dresses to donate to local high school students, to help them avoid the exorbitant costs.
A few years later, in 2009, Waldo Community Action Partners took over the organizing, and the project has grown from there, so that hundreds of students across the state now get dresses every year. WCAP has partnered with other groups in places such as Aroostook County and the city of Gardiner to extend its reach.
“This kind of an event is what we call a ‘great equalizer,’ because there are no income guidelines, and we have the best selection of dresses that you’re going to find in the entire state,” said WCAP Development Director Monica Pettengill. “People want to come here, regardless of their demographic. We try to make it a really magical experience for each of them, for everybody, and it’s magical for us.”
On Friday, when this year’s event started, Searsport’s Mermaid Plaza was transformed into a haven of colorful, flowy and sparkling fabrics, with 1,200 dresses of different sizes — many of them floor-length — available across a roomful of racks. Organizers also set up dressing rooms where attendees could bring three at a time to try on.
The initiative runs entirely on donations, with individuals and groups providing both funding and the dresses. Among the donors are those who have already attended their proms, businesses specializing in wedding attire and a Massachusetts initiative called Belle of the Ball.
Participants may obtain their dresses for free, but can also make optional donations of $10.
The event has evolved over time. This year marked the first time that participants could book their appointments online, according to Kristie Hamlin, community partnerships coordinator at WCAP. She noted that had really eased the process, with nearly 300 students making appointments. Walk-ins were also allowed to come in through Saturday evening.
Volunteers — referred to as “fairy godmothers” — help each participant to find dresses that match their specific tastes in color, silhouette, brand, length or other criteria.
The enthusiasm was clear among this year’s participants. Malia DeGracia, 16, of Belfast, let out an excited gasp when her 18-year-old sister, Naomi, stepped out of the dressing room in a black corset-backed dress with embroidered florals around the bodice.
They’re both students at the Ecology Learning Center in Unity, attending their junior and senior year proms, respectively. Naomi DeGracia, who was seeking a dramatic look, knew she had found a winner.
“I’m genuinely in shock. I didn’t really know how satisfied I would be with the dress I got,” she said. “When I stepped out, and the audible gasp from me and my sister, I just knew it was the one. I feel like a princess in it. I’m so happy.”
