High school girls have opportunity to receive a free donated prom dress through the Cinderella Project MKE

Prom is an important time for any high school student… and it can also be an expensive occasion. To alleviate some of the cost, The Gadzuric Foundation has created the Cinderella Project MKE, which will collect and distribute donated prom dresses to young women throughout the Milwaukee area.

"I was inspired to create the Cinderella Project MKE to bridge two things I am very passionate about—helping the community and fashion," Lisette Gadzuric said. "Through this project, it is my hope that the Gadzuric Foundation will not only be able to provide a free prom dress to deserving area youth, but help build self-esteem through the process, creating an all-around positive prom experience."

The Gadzuric Foundation will host dress drives, where residents can drop off prom dresses at area community centers from now-April 3, which is the date the dresses will be distributed at the Bradley Center. Dresses can be dropped off at the following locations:

• Christian Faith Fellowship Church (8605 West Good Hope Road; every Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
• Destiny Youth Plaza (7246 North 76th Street; every Wednesday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Ozaukee Family Services (885 Badger Circle, Grafton).
• Luci Boutique (locations available at www.luciboutique.com). Those that donate to Luci Boutique will receive 25 percent off the purchase of a new dress.
• Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club (3000 N. Sherman Ave.; Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.)
• St. Joan Antida High School Boys & Girls Club (1341 N. Cass Street; Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)
• Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club (4834 N. 35th Street; Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
• Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club (611 W. Cherry Street; Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.)
• Don & Sallie Davis Boys & Girls Club (2430 W. Rogers Street; Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.)
• Northside YMCA (1350 W. North Avenue)
• Select area high schools from January 11th-February 1st.

In addition to providing a free prom dress, the aim of the Cinderella Project MKE is to foster self-esteem for area high school girls and teach valuable life lessons. In order to receive a free prom dress, the girls must complete an application package which consists of a short essay on why they are deserving of the dress and a letter of support from an adult mentor (teacher, pastor, employer or community center employee). These applications are available on www.GadzuricFoundation.org and are due before February 8th. Participants will then attend a two-hour workshop that will cover various topics including nutrition and fitness, self-esteem, healthy relationships and prom choices. This workshop runs during the week of February 22nd-26th.

Once those two steps are complete, the girls can then pick their prom dress on April 3rd at the Bradley Center. Food, beverage, music and personal shoppers will be on hand to aid in the selection of dresses.

Area residents are encouraged to donate their used, cleaned prom dresses for this cause. Monetary donations are also accepted to cover dry cleaning, purchasing of additional dresses and event fees. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 9, Mequon, WI, 53092.

The Gadzuric Foundation was created by Bucks center Dan Gadzuric and his wife, Lisette, who is an avid volunteer in the Milwaukee community. The foundation’s mission is to eliminate negative barriers affecting youth and their families, replacing these obstacles by fostering self-esteem with positive experiences that build autonomy, enhancing the community.