Cinderella Boutique accepting prom dress donations, accessories

Local members of the S.C. Bar Young Lawyers Division want to help high-school girls attend their proms in style.

Christy Tyner with the Maxwell Law Firm, a member of the division, is once again gearing up for the Cinderella Project, which provides young girls with a prom dress and other accessories at no cost. Donations are currently being accepted.

Tyner is asking for donations of gently-used prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses and formal dresses. Also needed are shoes, handbags, jewelry, unused makeup, unopened nail polish, unopened perfume and unopened lotion.

All sizes are needed, and it is preferred that the items be clean and modern in style.

Organizers are also accepting tax-deductible monetary donations, which will allow them to purchase any items not donated.

A donation from LulaKate, a popular bridal and bridesmaid clothing store in Charleston, and Charlotte's Bridal have already come in, Tyner said.

"In 2011, we hosted over 100 young ladies, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow," she said. "The young ladies are helped on a first come, first serve basis and need to bring their school ID or other proof to show they are a high school student."

The Young Lawyers Division has been organizing the same project in Greenville, Columbia, Charleston and Beaufort for several years on a large scale, and Tyner loved the idea of bringing it to Aiken.

Information on the upcoming boutique is going out to five large Aiken County high schools.

The Cinderella Project Boutique, during which girls can pick up their dresses and accessories, is scheduled for March 17 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Maxwell Law Firm, 225 Chesterfield St. N.W.

Checks can be made payable to the South Carolina Bar.

Donations can be dropped off at the Maxwell Law Firm offices in Aiken, 225 Chesterfield St. N.W., or in North Augusta at 516 West Ave.

For more information, call Christy Tyner at 641-6700.

Haley Hughes has spent five years as the Aiken County government reporter with the Aiken Standard. Hughes, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, hails from Knoxville, Tenn.