Bridesmaids: Do you need a place to donate those bridesmaids gowns that you may never wear again? I have an idea for you....
You may remember a couple months ago I mentioned an organization called The Princess Project. I traveled up to Payson, AZ in July to their camp ground to take part in a special event, and have taken some time to post this for a couple reasons. One, I wanted to put some thought into the effect the experience had on me and two, I wanted to make sure it was okay to post this information and these pictures of the girls. (By law, I cannot show their faces for security reasons and they had to do a background check on all of the volunteers prior to entry.)
The Princess Project is part of a larger non-profit organization called Hope & A Future (http://www.azhope.com/) that provides opportunities and resources for abused and neglected children who reside in Arizona's foster care system. During the week, these girls also take part in a Teen Reach Adventure Camp (TRAC) where the counselors work with the girls through interactive activities that instill trust, support, faith, hope, friendship and positive values.
Towards week end at camp, key volunteers pull together The Princess Event, a formal dinner and dance designed to pamper the girls for an evening and give them a well-rounded experience they'll never forget. Beyond giving the girls formal dresses, shoes, purses, accessories and makeup to keep (all of which has been donated -- hint hint for bridesmaids or teens who would like to donate dresses), the evening provides an opportunity to create positive memories for the girls. Each foster teen is placed with a camp counselor (a "cousin" as they are called) who stays with her girls all day and evening and is there to provide support and encouragement.
All the wonderful men who are on hand to treat the girls with respect and honor. They even act as the servers for the evening, brining out the amazing meal that was prepared!
This day had a strong effect on me. First, it was wonderful to see all the amazing volunteers and camp counselors working with the girls during the day and then witness a large bus full of hair and makeup stylists arrive from Dolce Salon to help beautify the girls. But what I found most remarkable was watching the girls transform as the evening went on. Kelli had shared with me that most of these girls come from very serious and harmful situations, and have experienced things that most people wouldn't even want to imagine, so many of the girls are quiet, shy and/or very skeptical of this whole event. Some dont even want to get dressed up (and they dont have to) ... but as the night wore on, and all the amazing counselors and volunteers continue to pamper the girls and work to make them beautiful (and feel beautiful, most importantly), I began to see smiles and hear more talking and laughing.
By the end of dinner, many of the girls were coming up to me and directly asking me to take candid pictures of them. They were hugging their new friends, learning new dances, laughing and generally having fun. It was amazing to watch them come out of their shells and transform into these more confident girls and young women for an evening. Hopefully this night gave them an experience unlike one they've had before, and will leave them with a memory -- a very positive memory – to affect them in their core on some level.
As the children become young adults, Hope and a Future would like to be able to provide scholarship money to help the children attend college and receive job training and I have no doubt continue to be a guiding force in many of these children's lives.
It was truly an honor to go up and be a part of this experience and meet so many amazing new people. If you would like more information information on how to donate dresses, accessories, shoes or take part in future events, please contact Kelli Freeman at princess.project@hotmail.com
As a side note, here are some sobering Foster Care Statistics (Source: http://www.azhope.com/)
Did You Know.........?
*There are 3,000,000 reports of child abuse or neglect are made every year in the United States
*35,000 reports of child abuse or neglect were made in Arizona last year
*10,000 children are currently in Arizona foster care
*500 teenage foster children turn 18 & "age-out" of foster care with limited support
*A former foster child is 30 times more likely to become incarcerated as an adult
*50% of foster children drop out of high school
*50% of young women previously in foster care will become pregnant by 19 years old
*25% of young men previously in foster care will father a child by 19
*33% of former foster children become homeless
*1% of former foster children earn a college degree
*A young child is more likely to die of child abuse or neglect in the Phoenix Metro area than any other area in the Nation
These statistics are so shocking. The simple fact is that the children represented in these statistics did not choose to be abused. However, the statistics indicate that the abuse will have a life-long impact on these children. (read more)
