BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Cinderella and Prince Charming Boutique is making prom possible for high schoolers on a budget.
“We’ve been going for probably about 15 years,” said Laureen Blakemore, director of Community Engagement at the YMCA at Virginia Tech. “The purpose of this event is to provide teens in the New River Valley and beyond with the opportunity to come and have a real boutique experience that they might not be able to afford elsewhere.”
Buying everything you need to go to the prom can easily rack up to hundreds of dollars, but for the families who can’t afford this, leaders at the YMCA said they want to make sure they can still go.
“We feel that prom is an incredibly expensive time but we want everyone to have that experience,” Blakemore said.
She said the process is simple.
“They’re greeted by our volunteers,” said Blakemore. “They get a personal shopper. So, they’ll take information on what they want, and then they’ll walk them through finding a couple of items, take them off to the fitting rooms, help them try on, [and] pick accessories.”
Once they find what they need, they can take it all home.
“When they found their dream outfit, they can leave here at no charge, or make a donation if they choose to,” Blakemore said.
While they have already had one event, they say there are still opportunities to come out and get what you need.
They have boutique days on March 1, 2, 22, and 23. Visit their website by clicking here.