Our Mission
Fairy Goodmothers is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting confidence and self-esteem in Central Ohio High School youth. We achieve this by providing formal dresses and accessories to those who could otherwise not afford to purchase these items for themselves, thus enabling these youths to attend Prom and feel special during this exciting time. We work year-round in preparation for our annual Cinderella's Closet Boutique, where youths make their prom selections. We have many committees that do everything from fundraising, soliciting donations, sorting and preparing our inventory, coordinating with school guidance counselors, and reaching out to schools to spread the word about the Boutique.
Donations of gently used prom dresses and accessories from a variety of sources are accepted through dress drives and private donations. To fill the gap between what we collect and what we need to make the Boutique successful, we hold a variety of fundraising events. Our organization is also fortunate to partner with local businesses who serve as sponsors of our events. Their generous support contributes significantly to our ability to do what we do each year for Central Ohio youth.
Our History
How it All Started
The magic began in March 2005 when five friends from Dublin, Ohio were on a trip to Chicago. While there, they became aware of The Glass Slipper Project which is an organization that gifts prom dresses and accessories to high school students in need in the Chicago area.
The First Boutique
After returning to Columbus, these women could not get the thought of how happy the students must be and how wonderful it would be to create that same joy for high school youth in Columbus. They resolved to make it happen. Within five months, these resourceful women organized Fairy Goodmothers, formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, held their first fundraiser, and then secured and cleaned a vacant warehouse space on Spring Street in downtown Columbus for the first Cinderella’s Closet Boutique in Spring 2006. Prom gowns, shoes, and accessories were collected and Fairy Goodmothers actively promoted the news that free prom dresses and accessories were available. Success! Over 200 youths were gifted with prom gowns and accessories at the 2006 Cinderella’s Closet. Without Fairy Goodmothers, these youths may not have been unable to attend their prom.
The Founding Fairies
These five women are our original Founding Fairies. Their names are Lynn Boston, Casey Cseplo, Joanne Holdreith, Barb Tingley, and Kay Wilhelm. They dedicated the organization to supporting and increasing the self-esteem of central Ohio high school youth by gifting prom gowns and accessories to those youths who did not have the means to purchase the items for themselves. Joanne Holdreith was the creative thinking behind the Fairy Goodmothers’ name and Linda Kick who was active for several years with the Fairies, dubbed the name of our gifting event, Cinderella’s Closet Boutique (CCB).
That first year, the Fairies recruited volunteers; among them Peggy Buckles, Terri Butler (our loyal photographer), Kathleen Haunty (who brought the graphic design ability of her husband Jack), and Marcia Garvey. Their expertise catapulted the Fairies even further. The next year dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to achieve continued success included; Toni Carter, Jill Fergus, Tanya Irelan, Tracy McCallister, Marcy Orchard, Mary Slane, and Betsy Willi. These women became future leaders of the organization and were later joined by Anne Houser, Lisa Esham, Judy Smith, Emily Riemer, Sherry Kish, and Karina Nova, plus numerous others. Many of these women are still involved in Fairy Goodmothers today.
Today
Currently, Fairy Goodmothers has approximately 500 volunteers involved throughout the year and has gifted more than 20,000 gowns from its first Cinderella’s Closet in 2006 through the 2025 prom season. All this joy resulted from the vision of five friends on a group trip to Chicago.