Yesterday morning there were three dresses in a cardboard box in SERC C: one long, red and frilly; a purple one with sparkly sequins; and a light pink one with spaghetti straps. There is a sign on the front door urging residents to fill up the box this week.
The dresses will be donated to high school girls in New Hampshire as a part of the Cinderella Project, a statewide endeavor that provides hand-me-down prom dresses to girls who cannot afford to purchase one by themselves.
"Not everybody can afford to buy a new dress right now, especially if they are looking for a specific size," said freshman Katrina Michaud, who is spearheading the project at UNH along with freshman Loren Marple.
At the end of the week, the donated dresses will be transported to the Cinderella Project of New Hampshire in Allentown, a non-profit organization that will distribute the dresses. The Cinderella Project accepts donations of used prom dresses, semi-formal dresses, shoes, jewelry and handbags.
"Prom dresses are so incredibly expensive now and not all girls can afford to buy one," said Chelsea Michaud, Katrina Michaud's younger sister and a junior at Oyster River High School, who will be attending her high school prom this year. "Most people don't wear their dress more than once so this helps girls in high school get beautiful dresses without having to pay a lot of money."
The Cinderella Project at UNH is a weeklong event that will end on Sunday. Donation locations include Mills, Fairchild, Stoke, Hetzel, Christensen, SERC C and the Discovery Program Office in Room 3 of Hamilton Smith.
The project has already received multiple donations.
"Prom is sort of a rite of passage and the big thing they remember about high school," said Lily Haley, a UNH freshman who is planning to donate. "The simple act of donating a dress or a pair of shoes is going to make that experience a reality for someone."
Both Michaud and Marple took "How to Change the World" last semester, one of the courses in UNH's Discovery Program. The girls began a similar project in this class and hoped to continue with the work by starting a chapter of the Cinderella Project at UNH.
Michele Holt-Shannon, administrative director of the Discovery Program, said the program would like to take credit for influencing the girls to start this project but admitted it was completely their own initiative.
"We are just providing a donation site," said Holt-Shannon. "This is the girls' project, but we are very supportive of it."
The UNH Discovery Program is part of the new core curriculum at UNH that defines the general education requirements for all students.
In order to qualify for a dress, a recommendation - from a counselor, parent or someone else that has interacted with the student - is required in order to verify the student's disadvantaged financial status. Girls can apply on the organization's website, thecinderellaproject.org, and fill out a form or call the number listed online.
Once accepted the girls can make an appointment to go the boutique in Allenstown to "shop" for a free dress.
"It's little things like this that people should try to do more of because they can so easily help make other people's lives a little better, even if it's just for a day," said Haley.
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