Local cleaners collecting prom dresses for that big night

Years have passed, but Libertyville resident Oscar Gonzalez fondly remembers going to his girlfriend's high school prom.

"It's a special event nobody should miss," Gonzalez said.

Now a manager at Zengeler Cleaners in Northbrook, Gonzalez is proud to be part of a project that will allow financially struggling young women from throughout the Chicago area to enjoy their own proms.

The company has teamed with businesses, schools and community groups in Cook and Lake counties to collect an estimated 4,000 new and used gowns, shoes and other items for an effort called the Glass Slipper Project.

This month and in early May, the Chicago-based Glass Slipper organization will give the dresses and accessories to teens who can't afford to buy them, allowing the students to attend prom in proper style.

"It's great," Gonzalez said of the charity project. "You know how important prom is to young people."

It's the eighth year Zengeler has collected items for the Glass Slipper Project. The firm got involved after a customer at the Deerfield store suggested they collect prom dresses for needy teens, company President Tom Zengeler said.

The company collected about 800 items that first year. The latest effort is a record for the firm, Tom Zengeler said.

The gowns and accessories were collected by students at high schools including Stevenson, Libertyville and Carmel, as well as employees at suburban businesses such as Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Deerfield and Fidelitone Logistics in Wauconda, Tom Zengeler said.

The dresses collected aren't worn-out, out-of-fashion designs. Some are by top manufacturers, including Vera Wang and Escada, Gonzalez said.

Some still have their tags attached, he said.

On Wednesday, Zengeler employees trucked the dresses and accessories to Chicago. They were hung, pressed and clean, like a rainbow of fabric on the store's rotating rack before delivery.

Glass Slipper officials will hold boutiques on April 17, April 24 and May 1 at Abbott School, 3630 S. Wells St., Chicago.

Girls who attend the boutiques each will be able to get one dress, accessories and makeup. Students must be high school juniors or seniors and must present a valid school ID card or another proof of student status.

For more information about the Glass Slipper Project and the boutiques, visit glassslipperproject.org.

Other organizations in the Chicago area also are collecting prom dresses. Among them is the Junior League of Kane and DuPage Counties, which will host its sixth annual Cinderella's Closet this Saturday. For more details, visit jlkd.org.