CRYP Needs Dresses and Acessories for its Special Pre-Prom Event by Saturday, March 3
Less than three weeks remain before the Cheyenne River Youth Project®’s eagerly anticipated 2012 Passion for Fashion event. That means donors and supporters around the country have until Saturday, March 3 to send their new and gently used dresses, formal shoes, jewelry and accessories to CRYP’s East Lincoln Street campus.
“If possible, we’re trying to get all donations in house a week prior to Passion for Fashion,” explained Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “Our staff and volunteers need those days to sort all the donations by type and size, and to prepare them for more than a hundred teenage girls who will be ready to go shopping!”
This year’s Passion for Fashion will take place on Saturday, March 10 at the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center. Featuring the exciting theme “Fashion Week,” the daylong event will incorporate lunch and a presentation by keynote speaker Janet Thomas in Paris; manicures, pedicures, makeup and hairstyling in London; dress and shoe shopping in Milan; and an authentic catwalk experience in New York City.
“This is going to be an around-the-world experience for our girls,” said Megan Guiliano, CRYP’s youth programs director. “They can enjoy the flavors of a sidewalk cafe in Paris, the pampering of a London hair-and-makeup studio, the excitement of a Milan boutique and the sheer thrills of a Manhattan catwalk, equipped with two professional photographers who are donating their time to be on hand for the event and who will provide each girl with a keepsake photo.”
Perhaps the best news: Linda West, an STD/HIV/AIDS prevention specialist with Northern Plains Prevention Inc. at Eagle Butte’s Presentation College campus, has retained the services of River City Transit to pick up participants who live in the far eastern and western reaches of the 2.8-million-acre reservation.
“This is an incredible offer, since CRYP unfortunately does not have its own van for public transportation,” Garreau said. “In the past, that has limited the number of girls who could attend. Our reservation is the size of Connecticut, and not every family has a car. We’re hoping that Linda’s kind offer to help us through River City Transit will ensure that every teenager who wants to come will be able to make the trip.
“We’ll also be thrilled to have Linda on hand at Passion for Fashion,” she continued. “The event has an educational component, and Linda will be staffing a booth with information about STD/HIV/AIDS prevention.”
The building excitement has CRYP staff anticipating a record number of junior-high and high school participants from all over Cheyenne River and even from border towns like Faith, South Dakota. Guiliano said the team is tentatively planning for more than 100 teenage girls — and members of their families.
“Multiple generations attend Passion for Fashion each year,” Garreau explained. “Many of the girls bring their mothers, grandmas, aunties, sisters and cousins, which makes the event an intergenerational and cultural bonding experience. We’re always delighted to see how all these girls and women support each other, particularly as they address challenges such as poor body image, low self-esteem and even bullying.”
The evening will conclude with a special Passion for Fashion cake and fun activities such as karaoke and Guitar Hero tournaments. All participants will receive gift bags and may include their names in drawings for prizes.
To date, Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, Child Fund International and Sioux Falls-based Augustana College have made substantial contributions to this year’s Passion for Fashion program, and grassroots fundraising efforts through Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, and through the St. Louis Chapter of CRYP in Missouri are currently under way. However, to make sure that each young lady is able to take home her dream dress, the perfect shoes, all the necessary prom accessories and a few gifts, CRYP still needs more new and gently used dresses, shoes and assorted formal-night odds and ends.
“We need dresses in sizes four to 26, but we especially need sizes 16 to 26,” Guiliano said. “The same goes for shoes— we need pairs in all sizes, but especially in sizes 9 to 12.”
CRYP also is asking for jewelry and hair accessories; makeup and bath sets; gift cards and cash donations. Staff and volunteers will take any contributed funds and make additional purchases based on need.
To learn how you can support CRYP’s 2012 Passion for Fashion program, see the included sidebar.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visitwww.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
How You Can Support CRYP’s 2012 Passion for Fashion
If you would like to support the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s Passion for Fashion program this year, please considering contributing any of the following:
• New/Gently Used Prom Dresses (Sizes 4-26, especially sizes 16-26)
• Dress Accessories (Examples: Purses, Wraps, Scarves)
• Formal Shoes (especially sizes 9-12)
• Jewelry
• Hair Accessories & Care Products
• Facial, Manicure & Pedicure Supplies
• Makeup and Bath Sets
• Gift Cards
• Cash Donations
CRYP usually makes a variety of additional purchases for the Passion for Fashion event, including makeup, food and some accessories, so every contribution helps. Please send donations to CRYP at P.O. Box 410, East Lincoln Street, Eagle Butte, SD 57625. To make a financial contribution, either mail to the above address or simply click here to make a donation.
To ensure that CRYP staff and volunteers have time to prepare for the Passion for Fashion event on March 10, please send all packages and contributions by March 3. The youth project also will gladly accept late donations, since many teens who are unable to attend the event itself will pick up their dresses at a later date. Donations for next year are welcome as well! For more information, call (605) 964-8200 or send e-mail to info@lakotayouth.org.
RSVP for Passion for Fashion!
Teenagers from the Cheyenne River reservation who would like to attend this year’s Passion for Fashion event at the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center on Saturday, March 10 should contact the Cheyenne River Youth Project to let staff know they plan to participate. Please RSVP as soon as possible by calling (605) 964-8200 or sending e-mail to info@lakotayouth.org.