Cinderella had a fairy godmother to grant all of her wishes, but help like that doesn't show up for every woman in need. That's why Ball State University's Fashion Merchandising Association has organized Cinderella's Closet, a dress drive where women can donate and buy dresses while supporting women of the community struggling with cancer.
Over 230 formal and semi-formal dresses priced from $15 to $30 will be on sale in the Student Center Forum from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and from noon to 2 Saturday p.m. All proceeds will be donated to the Ball Memorial Cancer Center, earmarked for helping women with breast, ovarian and other female cancers.
FMA President Audrey Walls said one of the uses for the money will be "care packages women get after surgery for breast and ovarian cancer that have books about the cancer, undergarments they need to wear after surgery and other information, and it's all in a nice canvas tote bag."
These bags cost $30 to $40, and are donated on an individual basis. When there are no donations, women don't receive bags. The money from the dress drive will be put into a fund to make sure all women receive these, as well as to assist women who can't afford hospital care.
With few funds set up in Delaware County to assist women with cancer, this fund will help women who would otherwise not be able to afford the continuing care and annual exams necessary after surgery. "Those things cost money and if women can't afford it, they don't go and they could die," FMA Vice President of Correspondence Alli Garrels said.
FMA is donating $1,000 from its existing funds, as well as all the money made from the drive. As this is the first year, it does not know what to expect, but so far the response has been positive.
"We've had so many older women coming in to donate dresses," Garrels said. "One woman who came in had read an article in the newspaper, and she was just really glad we were doing it."
Walls received a phone call from her kindergarten teacher saying how excited she was about the drive.
Ball State students have also become excited about it, as many have dresses left from high school to donate or have formals coming up they would like a new dress for.
Junior Carla Alderman, an English secondary education major, overheard the interview with Garrels and Walls and came over to ask if she could still donate.
"I have a couple of dresses from high school, so why not give them to a good cause? They're just sitting around gathering dust, I might as well donate them and let a few girls have a good time with them," Alderman said.
For more information, contact FMA at fmadressdrive@hotmail.com.
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