Moore Norman Technology Center

After the rush of this year’s holiday season has past, most people regain a sense of normalcy about their schedules and daily concerns. However, there are youth in Norman and Moore who know that “normal” holds quite a different meaning. It’s when people are in situations like these that those like Nancy Holt and the students in her Entrepreneurship class do their best work.

Holt has been the Entrepreneurship instructor at Moore Norman Technology Center for 27 years, and has been involved in just about double the number of community service projects since.

Her latest endeavor came about by happenstance when she received a call from a friend, and representative, at the Moore Chamber of Commerce. A business had recently closed and the owner abandoned about 150 wedding and 600 prom dresses, shoes and accessories. The landlord wanted to donate the inventory to a good cause and remain anonymous.

“I just couldn’t believe it. In my business and what I teach my students is you don’t say no to an opportunity like this. The fact that we didn’t have a plan for what we were going to do didn’t matter. We said yes and haven’t looked back,” Holt said.

This is how Project Cinderella was born. On one Friday, Holt’s students used a MNTC school bus and a van and collected all the items. Holt said students used extreme care when collecting and transporting the wedding gowns, some priced at over $1,000.

“Dresses with beadwork and sequins need care when being handled and my students really came through. They were so careful and worked together so well to make this happen. I’m just so proud of them and the work they put into all of this,” Holt said.

The Entrepreneurship class takes care of an on-site Backroom Clothing Company store, to learn about operating a business, but extra room is scarce and there wasn’t enough room to house so many dresses. Once the dresses and other items were itemized, an alternate classroom was allowed for temporary set-up of a dress shop.

Wedding dresses sell for $40 and prom dresses for $20, unless there is an indication of need, in which case a prom dress is free.

Norman North High School junior Hunter Ryan said, “Because of the time, and because we didn’t have a plan, we learned a lot about communication and teamwork. Even though we already worked well together in class, this situation really opened our eyes to how well we work together.”

Meanwhile, Holt called on the assistance of the MNTC Graphic Design class, lead by Trisha Marlow. They developed fliers for distribution, and coupons for partner high school counselors to give to young ladies that were in need of a prom dress. Once completed, and with administrative permission, students from Entrepreneurship morning and afternoon classes hit the pavement, hanging fliers around their home high schools and MNTC to generate awareness of the project.

Now students work on Project Cinderella during class time while finishing course curriculum for the Entrepreneurship class and attending to the Backroom Clothing Company storefront.

The Tinker Air Force Chaplin was contacted to provide dresses to active-duty airmen and their fiancés who learn of immediate deployments, with little-or-no time to prepare a wedding. Holt’s students quickly learned a lesson in “word-of-mouth” marketing because by day two, a female solider came to the school and purchased a wedding dress and two flower girl dresses for her own wedding.

Southmoore High School senior Travis Bauman said, “You hear stories all the time about people doing good things for others and it’s cool to be on the opposite end of it. We’re the ones doing the good things.”

“The gratitude you see on these young girls’ faces is priceless. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be a part of this project, and for the kindness of the man who gave the inventory to us,” said Holt.

The profits have been used to purchase necessity items and toys for needy families of MNTC students through an annual on-site Giving Tree Project. Any additional money generated will be used to help students with other needs.

NNHS senior Michaelene Stephenson said, “It makes me feel good inside because I know some of these girls wouldn’t have been able to get a dress otherwise. I’m glad I was a part of this.”

“This project has helped me realize people right in our own community are in need of assistance and that at any time it could be any one of us in need,” said Moore High School senior La'Keesha Hudspeth.

For more information about the Project Cinderella call 364-5763, ext. 7306. For information about MNTC’s Entrepreneurship class visit www.mntechnology.com.