Rene Spallina and Cynthia Jackson
are two moms on a mission. Their mission… to
create a lifetime memory for some very deserving young
ladies in their community. After seeing a story on
Oprah about a program that provided prom dresses for
financially challenged high school girls, they set
out to create their own program in their community.
Just three short months later, with the help of Fairy
Godmother Joyce Jesko, Rene and Cynthia launched their
FairyGodmother program in January 2004. This dynamic
duo drew from their work and life experiences to make
their program unique. Rene is a small business owner
and former special events coordinator for a fortune
500 company, while Cynthia worked as a sales manager
for an upscale retail store and personal shopper for
another. Their focus is to create a dream shopping
experience for each girl who attends their program.
In addition to the dress, each girl is treated like
Cinderella for a day.
With the help of family and friends they waved their
magic wands to make dreams come true for 73 high school
girls in the basement of a local church in April of
that same year. After seeing the faces of the girls
and their families enriched by this program as well
as seeing the reaction of the volunteers as they helped
the girls choose their treasures, they set out to
make it even more far reaching in the following year.
Since the program began, they have helped hundreds
of girls in the greater Rochester area. Their prom
fair is now hosted by the Rochester Riverside Convention
Center. They have been reaching into the community
for help from other women to make this program grow.
The YMCA, The Junior League, local TV and radio stations,
area businesses, schools, sewing guilds and more have
pitched in to make their prom fair a one of a kind.
In addition to the program they have designed for
high school girls they have been able to create some
magic moments for other women in their community.
Among some of their favorite success stories is dressing
several members of the Special Olympics Women's Choir
for a ball in NYC. Another, was making sure the recipient
of the Monroe County ARC foundation's Make a Wish
Program looked like a true princess when she rode
in the Lilac Parade this past year.
Although
they originally planned on making this a "one
day a week kind of job", this has become a full
time passion for both ladies.
