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Queens woman struggles to find prom dress donations for charity
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Zakiah Murphy,12, and Victoria Rodriguez,14, try on donated prom dresses at home of Angela Hines.
If Angela Hines has her way, every young woman in Far Rockaway who wants to go to the prom will have a beautiful dress to wear this year.
But the Legal Aid lawyer, who is also a mom of five, is struggling to get donations as prom season looms.
“The transformation is amazing when these girls try the dresses on,” said Hines, 46, who is aiming to help 500 girls in the community including kids in foster care.
Hines is an inspiration to young women in Rockaway. A high-school dropout and teen mom, she put herself through college and law school. Through her Project Window program, she mentors middle school girls by emphasizing the importance of education and self-esteem.
“They have a choice, they don’t have to live their parents life,” said Hines, who grew up in the Edgemere Houses and now owns her own home in Rockaway Beach. “They have to decide where they are or if they want to do better things.”
She started collecting and distributing the dresses back in 2013 when local families were still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
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Providing young girls with free dresses, shoes and accessories is one way to boost their confidence and allow them to celebrate accomplishments — whether it’s a middle school graduation party of high school prom.
“Living in the projects itself is hard,” said Hines. “If you can overcome that stigma and graduate, even if its middle school, I want to encourage them to keep going.”
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Angela Hines, founder of Project Window, shows off a donated prom dress that she has recieved. Zakiah Murphy, left, looks at a dress.
In 2013, Hines collected almost 500 dresses but in recent years the donations have dropped to 250 and last year only 100.
Even though companies such as Kleinfeld Bridal, KiKi D’s, Fashion Delivers and Revlon contribute to the prom program every year — she is looking for individual donors and additional sponsors.
“Prom dresses are not cheap and some people just can’t afford it,” said Deandria Campbell, 15, who volunteers with Hines. “This really puts a smile on people’s faces and makes them feel confident.”
On May 14, Hines and her volunteers will hold a special event at the Goldie Maple Academy in Arverne where girls can select dresses, shoes, accessories and even have makeovers to get ready for prom season.
“Sometimes the girls don’t want to try them on at first but once they do, they light up,” Hines said. “One of the girls last year told me “I’ve never felt this pretty before in my life.'”
For more information about making donations email projectwindow.ny@gmail.com