["400px"]
Angela Hines, center, poses with girls who begin their brawl dresses at her “Queens for a Day” clothes betrayal in Far Rockaway, Queens, in 2013. (Photo: Project Window)
["400px"]
FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (PIX11) – An contrarily archetypal amphitheater will about-face into a appropriate bazaar this weekend for girls in Far Rockaway acknowledgment to a mom who is bent to amusement the adolescent ladies like “queens for a day.”
Hundreds of middle- and aerial school-aged girls are accepted to try on and aces up brawl dresses, shoes and adornment – all for free.
Having developed up in the apartment projects on the eastern bend of Queens, Angela Hines said she can analyze with the girls she’s now pampering.
“I was advantageous abundant to become an advocate so I capital to ability aback and cull somebody aback up with me,” Hines said.
In 2012, Hines founded Project Window, a non-profit that helps at-risk girls in Far Rockaway “see activity alfresco of the projects.”
["400px"]
Inspiration for the brawl dress betrayal came aftermost year afterwards Hurricane Sandy devastated Hines’ neighborhood.
Hines said her ancestors was fortunate: they were displaced for aloof seven weeks, but some neighbors absent their homes or were now saddled with big-ticket but basic renovations, like replacing floors and walls.
It was about that time that her babe came home with a account of brawl essentials that totaled about $500. Thinking how adamantine it charge be for parents to accept amid acknowledging their children’s admiration to partake in the big ball and clean their homes, Hines started calling accompany in chase of dresses.
Donated dresses ample the racks central a Queens gymansium, area hundreds of girls were accustomed to bazaar — for chargeless — to actualize their absolute brawl outfit. (Photo: Project Window)
Last year, she had abundant dresses – about 500 – to ample 10 racks with glittering, shimmering, blithely black gowns.
["400px"]Not a distinct babe larboard after a dress, alike admitting some of them anticipation they could never acquisition a clothes aloof for them.
“There was one babe who said, ‘There’s annihilation actuality for me. I can’t acquisition anything; I can’t acquisition anything,” Hines recalled.
That’s back one of Hines’ 20 volunteers absolved over, took the babe by the arm and said, “I apperceive there’s one here.”
And she was right.
“They begin the absolute dress and she absolved about with her dress in her duke for the blow of the evening,” Hines said.
["400px"]Manhattan’s Kleinfeld Bridal, the high-end bazaar at the centermost of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress,” The Jones Group, and KiKi D’s in New Jersey are aloof a few of Hines’ sponsors, altruistic dresses, shoes and accessories.
Girls will accept admission to the chargeless and fashionable arrangement from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Ocean Bay Community Centermost in Far Rockaway, amid at 5710 Beach Channel Drive.
As continued as they accumulate accepting dresses, Hines said they’ll abide ambience up the racks, blind up the dresses and giving the girls of Far Rockaway a adventitious to be advised like queens.
Learn added about Project Window, here.
A table abounding of donated shoes waits for girls in Far Rockaway, Queens, as allotment of a brawl giveaway. (Photo: Project Window)
["400px"]
["400px"]
["400px"]

["400px"]
["400px"]

["400px"]
["400px"]

["400px"]