BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo fashion designer is once again giving students the opportunity to have a 'Cinderella moment' at prom.
Daykeyla McGee designed a one-of-a-kind couture gown for a Buffalo student last prom season and she is doing it again for next year's prom.
Applications are now available online for girls and boys to enter the contest. Daykeyla says her goal is to help them feel their very best, from the inside out.
"I want to push people to feel that self-love that self-worth and increase their self-esteem. When last year's winner put on her prom dress she was almost in tears. I was almost in tears. And it was a real Cinderella experience for her," McGee said.
This time Daykeyla is partnering with the She Ready Foundation. It is a charity created to inspire, protect and provide resources for young people impacted by foster care. Many children in the system don't have the opportunity to go to prom or often wear hand me downs, so the contest this year is geared toward them.
"How good does it feel to put on something brand new? Something that was made just for them? Many times the young people in this system don't feel like anything was made just for them. They feel like they're just a number in a cookie cutter system. And this contest that Daykeyla has put together has made an opportunity for young people to feel special," said Dr. Thyonne Gordon of the She Ready Foundation.
The contest is open to youth impacted by foster care who are attending prom in 2024, with priority is given to students living in Buffalo, New York, or Los Angeles, California. Those living outside these cities are welcome to apply.
Two winners are to be announced on Martin Luther King Day January 15, 2024. One winner will receive a custom made-to-measure dress and the other will receive a purchased suit with optional customization.
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