On Wedneday, April 10, 2019, the community came together to support our province's at-risk female-identified students for their graduation day and beyond by attending The 12th Annual Glass Slipper Benefit for Princesses presented by K+S Potash Canada at TCU Place in Saskatoon.

The Glass Slipper Benefit is our biggest fundraiser and one of the most important nights of the year to provide a significant portion of funding for our programs. 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, our Dinner Sponsor Orano Canada, Entertainment Sponsor Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation, and to all of our Supporting Sponsors Loraas Disposal, MLT Aikins, MNP, and Strata Development... THANK YOU!

For the second year in a row, we held a live auction to raise scholarship funds for Princess Graduates continuing on to post-secondary education. Last year, we raised $9,300 in scholarship funds (three separate donations), and this year, we raised $15,000 for scholarships from eight donors! This is beyond our fundraising goals for programs so we are ecstatic that we can provide more support to our graduates, many of whom are single mothers! Stay tuned on this blog for a closer look at these scholarships in the near future.

The Glass Slipper also provided guests with an opportunity to play Hillberg & Berk Plinko (or, Blingko as we like to call it), that consisted of winning prizes from Sparkle Ball Earrings, to Pen Sets, gift cards, and jewelry cases! It was a fun and fabulous addition to our event! 

Entertainment was provided by Scott's Flyers and sponsored by Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation. Scott's Flyers performed Acro Yoga under a chandelier of dresses on a stage set in the centre of the room among a sea of guest tables. 

A lot of work and donations go into the event as well. 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 12th Annual Glass Slipper Benefit for Princesses:

26 Lentils

A Head of Time

ah girl by Allie Kell

Airline Hotels

Amy Thiessen - Younique

Ashryla Boutique

Aurora Houseboats

Awasis Boutique

Basic Bleach

Beneath It All Lingerie

BioMechanics Personal Training & Massage Therapy

Black Fox Distillery

Blossoms Florals

Broadway Shoe Repair

Build-A-Bear

Byond the looking glass gems

CAKe. hair design

Calistaprints

Candle Lake Golf Course

Carver's Steakhouse

Checks n Balances

Cindy Moleski Photography and Framing

City Perks Coffeehouse

Congress Beer House

Conrad Devine DJ

Cravings Maternity & Baby Boutique

Cuelenaere LLP

Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation

DancEgypt Dance Co.

Darlene McGrath, B.ED. CRA-RT

Delta Bessborough

Delta Hotels by Marriott

Details at home

Dino Box YXE

Divide N Conquer Paintball

elizabethLyn Jewelry

End of the Roll

Enterprise Rent-a-Car

Etceteras

Fitness Focus

Float Now

Foreverly Yours Baby Boutique

Freba Pottery

Fresh Living

Galon Insurance

Garden Four Seasons

Gerald Murray Photography

Green Tree Beauty

Gregg Bamford

Handy Special Events

Hawood Inn

Hillberg & Berk

Honey Bun Cafe

Hudson's Canadian Tap House

Hugo Alvarado, Artist

Huskie Athletics

Icon Shoes

Ilovekickboxing

Impact Marketing

Impact Marketing

Infinity Management

Inland AV

Janella Hamilton

Joi Photography

K+S Potash Canada

Karie Kazakoff

Karma Cafe & Conscious Eatery

Kayla Goshulak - Seacret

Kayleigh Cole Designs

Kelly Block MP

King me Boardgamery

KR Jewelry

Lauren Ethridge - Artist

Laurie Brown

Lead Pilates

Leopold's Tavern

Living Sky Studios

Long & McQuade

Loraas Disposal

Mar's Mini Golf

Metric Design Centre

Midtown

Midtown

MLT Aikins LLP

MNP

Modo Yoga Saskatoon

Ness Creek Music Festival

Newborn Feathers

Nipawin Evergreen Golf Course

North Prairie Magazine

North Ridge Development

Novo Esthetics

Oakwood Nissan

Om Improvements

Orano Canada Inc.

Panago Pizza

Paramount Day Spa

Patricia Katz

Paw Shots

PCL Construction

Peach Poppy Designs

PersephoneTheatre

PickNics Catering

Pizza Hut (Concorde Food Services)

Pop and Tot Cloth Diaper Service

Primal Pasta

proACTIVE Fitness

Quinn & Kim's Grower Direct

Rachael Meckling

Rawlco Radio

Rayacom Printing

Rebecca King Designs

Recreation Supply Co

Redline Harley Davidson

Remai Modern

Remnant Steel

Revamp Hair Salon

Rider Store

Riverbend Plantation

Rock Ridge Paintball and Laser Tag Games

Rosie & the Riveters

Ryde YXE Cycle Studio

Saboroso Brazilian Steakhouse

Saskatchewan Rattlers

Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club Inc.

Saskatoon Blades

Saskatoon Home Magazine

Saskatoon Inn

Saskatoon Loves Pilates

Saskatoon Pilates

Saskatoon Residential

SaskPower

SaskTel

Scoles Fine Arts & Framing

Scott's Flyers

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan

Sheila's State of the Art Flowers

Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon

Shift Development Inc.

Silvers Local Market

Simply Restored Furniture

Sokyrka, Theresa

SoulPower Fitness

Stan Garchinski

Steeped Tea- Marea Olafson

Strata Development

Summit Sports + Health

Sunsera Salon & Spa (Grey Ave)

TCU Place

The Centre Mall

The Hollows

The Loft Hair Studio

The Sandbox in the City Clothing Co.

The Spot Restaurant and Lounge

The Whimsy Store

Those Girls at the Market

Three Farmers

TimberJaxe Throwing

Tonic

Trail Appliances

Travelodge Hotel

Tunnels of Moose Jaw

Twisted Goods (Centre Mall)

Two Fifty Two Boutique

UNA Pizza + Wine

Viahera Canada

Visions Salon & Spa

W Bridals

Wiegers Financial

Winston's English Pub

Wyant Group Raceway

Our event wouldn't have the same impact without the generous donations from organizations like this in our community. We are proud to be located in Saskatoon where the people are as kind as they are generous, allowing us to spread the impact throughout our wonderful province. Thanks to these sponsors, The Princess Shop has helped 1,030 students in our community!

Special thanks to Janella Hamilton of CTV Saskatoon for emceeing the evening. A huge thank you is also well-deserved by our Keynote speakers Alyshia and Jessica, who moved us to tears and spoke beautifully about their experiences and challenges; thank you for sharing them with us. 

Stay tuned on our social media for the End of the Roll Pink Carpet Photos courtesy of Gerald Murray Photography and event photos by Joi Photography!

Once again, from our community of volunteers and Princesses past, present, and future..... from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. Our community thrives because of your generosity.

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!