by April Donauer

The trees are already looking bare, we have a couple of snowy days under our belts, and grad season seems like a lifetime ago. All the same, we would like to take some time and reflect on our 2018 Princess Graduates. They are strong, they are intelligent, they are brave, and they are GRADUATED. Here at The Princess Shop, we feel a sense of pride when we send out the dresses on grad days. Each dress belongs to a girl who has reached a truly special milestone and each girl has had her own journey. We celebrate each journey and congratulate each achievement. 

This past grad season was a truly remarkable one. What made it particularly special was that it could not have been possible without the support of our community. We had volunteers help mend dresses, volunteers assist in appointments, businesses that donated funds, hair services given, make-up services given, photography services given, and dresses donated. All this to say, The Princess Shop had been able to give back because so much has been given through the support of our community. Thank-You.  

"Thank you so much to everyone that helped me make this day truly special for me. When I first found out about the princess shop I never knew it was this amazing ! It was truly a day I will NEVER forget. I felt like a princess for sure and I got so many compliments on my make up hair and especially my gorgeous dress ! Thank you thank you thaaaaank you!" -Dacy, 2017 Princess Graduate

This June, we completed our 10th graduation season providing the Dress Program to 134 female-identified students graduating from school programs from 10 different communities across Saskatchewan.

Since the first graduation season in 2008, we have directly impacted the lives of 890 women on their graduation day! Some of these Princess Graduates have continued with our programs for mentorship (Fairy Godmother Program) and scholarships and skill development workshops (Next Chapter Program). 

We would like to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors for supporting our 10th graduation season:

Diamond Sponsor Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon

Emerald Sponsor Federated Co-operatives Ltd.

Ruby Sponsor Wright Construction Western Inc.

Friends: SIGA, Centennial 360, EY

Sponsor a Princess Graduate: Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation

Since 2010, we have had 65 mentorship matches in the Fairy Godmother Program! Some of these matches that are in the program today have continued from as far back as 2010.

Through the Next Chapter Program, we have been able to award over $150,000 in scholarships and bursaries, thanks to the amazing sponsors we have had contributing to this program. 

Most of our graduates are grade 12 students, however we honour requests from Grade 8s and post-secondary institutions. Our goal is to ensure that all female-identified students can attend their graduation ceremony and celebration stress-free, and then continue to pursue success in the next chapter!

It is more than a dress – everyone deserves the opportunity to recognize their accomplishments and participate fully in their graduation celebration. If you know anyone who would benefit from knowing about The Princess Shop (teacher, student or general supporter), please send them a link to our website!

Photography by: Wanda Keen Photography

Hair by: MC College

Makeup by: Spa Academy

Corsages: Blossoms Living

What an amazing evening! Last night The Princess Shop celebrated our 10th Annual Glass Slipper Benefit for Princesses presented by K+S Potash Canada! The Glass Slipper Benefit is our biggest fundraiser, and one of the most important nights of the year for our program. This is just one of the reasons why we have such gratitude for our amazing list of sponsors. Without the help of these sponsors, this evening wouldn't be possible. Without further ado, we'd like to take a minute to thank the following: To our title sponsor, K + S Potash Canada, to our dinner sponsor KPMG, our entertainment sponsor AREVA Resources Canada, and to all of our supporting sponsors Strata Development and McFaull Consulting... THANK YOU!

 The Princess Shop would like to extend a heartfelt thank you and appreciation to all of the following sponsors for their generous support of the 10th Annual Glass Slipper Benefit for Princesses:

The Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon's mandate is to "Serve the Community's Greatest Need.” The Princess Shop is honoured to be among the many worthy causes in the city being supported by this volunteer organization. 

The Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon have been a major sponsor of the Dress Program since the 2011-2012 graduation season, as Diamond Sponsor! This commitment and support has allowed The Princess Shop to grow and flourish over the years, and this year we are celebrating our 10th graduation season supporting Saskatchewan’s graduating women in need! With last year’s 127 Princess Graduates, we anticipate another busy year ensuring graduating students in the province have an equivalent graduation experience to their peers!

As a nonprofit group, the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon puts on many initiatives throughout the year to raise funds that will go directly back into the community. It is important for the greater community to pay attention to these events, because their success is spread across so many initiatives in the community from grassroots sports to cultural events to social impact organizations like The Princess Shop! 

Keep an eye out for these fundraisers put on by the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon:

Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner - Feb 3rd, 2016 (tickets on sale now, here!) - The 57th Annual Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner pays tribute to hockey legend Guy Lafleur with special guests Mario Lemieux, Luc Robitaille, and GM of the Montreal Canadiens, Marc Bergevin.

Kinsmen Home Lotto – Spring and Early Summer

With another successful graduation season wrapped up having served 127 Princess Graduates from 11 communities across Saskatchewan on their special day, we are ready to take a much needed holiday! 

We are so excited to begin the 10th year of The Princess Shop's operations! In the meantime, we're going to relax in the sunshine, and enjoy a few days off and have some quality time with loved ones. That is what summer is all about, right?

The Princess Shop will be closed Tuesday, July 19 through Monday, July 25, to resume office hours on Tuesday, July 26 at 9am. If you have a dress donation to make during this time, our donation drop off locations have you covered!

Stonebridge Drop-Off: Modern Sole Saskatoon 150 - 3020 Preston Ave S

Summer Hours: TUES 10am-6pm; WED/THUR 10am-7pm; FRI 10am-6pm; SAT: 10am-3pm
Please note, Modern Sole Saskatoon is closed Sundays and Mondays during the summer.

Kelsey Woodlawn Drop-Off: Exquisite Fashions & Bridal 1202B Quebec Ave (& 33rd St W.) 

Summer Hours: TUES/WED/THUR 11am-6pm; FRI 11am-5pm; SAT 10am-5pm

Lawson Heights/North Drop-Off: Pizza Hut 8-202 Primrose Dr

Hours: 1:30pm-4:30pm and 7:30pm-9:30pm, 7 days/week

We accept donations of current-style formal gowns, shoes, and accessories!

HAPPY SUMMER, and thank you so much for all of the support! 

Love, 

The Princess Shop Team 

Here at The Princess Shop, we are making our way through our 9th graduation season with 130+ Princess Graduates in our Dress Program! We have seen amazing growth in numbers of women accessing the Dress Program, which lends out the dress and accessories to graduating women in financial and/or social need. Furthering that, for Saskatoon Graduates we can set them up with hair, makeup, photos, limo and corsage (Thanks to these amazing sponsors) to provide the enhanced graduation experience to mark the accomplishment.

Over the past 8 years (this year not included) we have supported 628 women for their graduation day. That means 628 women have attended their graduation feeling proud of their accomplishments, and equivalent to their peers. 628 women who might not have attended their graduation celebration at all, if not provided the opportunity to be a part of The Princess Shop's Dress Program.

That being said, we know a thing or two about graduation days: the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Whether you're reading this and you're a graduate, an escort, a parent, friend or a family member of a graduate, this is for YOU! We all want the big day to go smoothly, but we know anything can go wrong. It is our goal for our Princess Graduates to have a stress-free graduation day! Having been a part of so many graduates' big day, and accompanying them to hair, makeup and photography appointments, we have learned a lot about quick fixes, and how to be prepared in case of anything - and we would love to share this with you! 

Here is The Princess Shop's Graduation Emergency Essentials Kit:

It all began in 2012, and SIGA has continued to be a Diamond Sponsor of the Dress Program for The Princess Shop in the subsequent years 2013, 2014, 2015, and again for this year’s 2016 graduation season! We are so proud to be among SIGA’s benefitting community organizations receiving funding for our program.

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) operates under one of their guiding principles, Wîtaskêwin: sharing the land and sharing resources. This lays amazing foundation for SIGA’s investment in Saskatchewan’s community.

SIGA has shared their resources with The Princess Shop for a number of years, to ensure that the Dress Program finds success in the lives of disadvantaged female youth who are graduating from high school. With last year’s 30% growth in demand for the Dress Program, SIGA’s continued support translates into stability of the program, and continued development to ensure the lives of 100s of graduates are positively impacted every year through an enhanced graduation experience, mentorship, scholarship support, and skill development.

SIGA displays a great example of what it means to share resources with our beautiful community and province, by all their work done in the community.

Our whole community benefits when young women have more self-esteem, confidence, and drive. Positively affecting young women impacts their families and dependents – and ultimately, our entire community.

A big thank you to all the staff and friends at SIGA for being a major part of the impact!