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More than 500 gowns are hanging at the Calvary United Methodist Church in Moundsville, ready to be chosen by Marshall County girls to wear to prom during the Ladies League of Marshall County's Cinderella Project.
Marshall County girls attending prom can visit the church on First Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 1 to pick out their prom dress, shoes and other accessories for the dance free of charge. Dresses will be available in sizes 0 to 24, and shoes will be available in sizes 5 to 11.
Attendees will be assigned a Ladies League member to serve as their personal shopper. The personal shopper will assist the girls in finding the correct dress size, style and color.
Dressing rooms will be available for attendees to try on dresses.
"If a girl takes five gowns back and none of them work, their shopper will go and pick out other gowns that they may have looked at," Cinderella Project Co-Chairman Deedee Novel said. "We all clap when they're ready to show a dress and have little photo-ops for them too. It's just a really fun time."
Novel noted that the "entire community and beyond" has rallied to support the event. The Marshall County Commission, the Evan G. Roberts Fund and anonymous donors have provided their support. Local bridal shops, independent jewelers and members of the community have also donated their time and wares to give girls in the county "the opportunity for a memorable prom experience."
Novel said she purchased about 100 new gowns for this year's Cinderella Project. The event typically outfits around 60 girls in the county for prom each year. Girls who choose a gown for the prom at the event can keep the dress after the dance.
Ladies League members have been busy this February donating their time to organize the various gowns and accessories for the event. While setting up at the Calvary United Methodist Church on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Novel said members make sure the gowns and shoes are organized correctly by size and that dresses do not have any problems and are still wearable.
"When girls walk in, we don't want them to be blindly looking for a dress," Novel said. "We want everything to be organized so they can shop easily. I kind of think of this as our pop-up Cinderella Project store and call it our 'Cinderella Boutique.'"
Ladies League members also use dresses that are "more matronly" to outfit women in the county for the Night to Shine and Mommy and Me events, Novel said. Shorter dresses are donated to a local boutique for girls to use for the John Marshall High School homecoming.
"We collaborate with other women and businesses in the county to make sure the gowns get to the girls," Novel noted.
Novel emphasized the importance of the event in giving girls in the county the opportunity to feel "like a princess" on prom night.
"We feel that every girl is a princess and needs a day to shine," Novel said. "Many of our members are retired school personnel, so we have seen kids that don't go to prom for various reasons, but we don't want any girl in the county not to attend prom because they don't have a gown. We support all young women in the county and want to help them grow to become powerful young women.
In addition to ensuring girls in the county look the best on their "special night," Ladies League members strive to make the shopping experience fun for participants.
"We've had girls in the past be so excited and grateful for the event because they wouldn't have been able to go to prom otherwise, and we get such self-gratification from seeing them," Novel said. "When they find the dress they want, we'll ask them, 'Are you saying yes to the dress?' and they get so excited. It's such a wonderful feeling that we get to supply for every girl in Marshall County."