Say Yes to the Dress with Project Royalty
It’s the prom season and students wanting to get dressed up to attend this gala event often struggle with its associated. One initiative by an Independence resident will see a number of young ladies, who may not be able to afford that elegant gown, say yes to a dress. It’s free of cost and it all happens tonight in Independence Village. News Five’s Duane Moody found out more about Project Royalty.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Meet Isabella Zabaneh. She was crowned Miss Independence three years ago and realized that many young ladies were missing out on an opportunity to attend their senior prom due to lack of funding. This gave birth to Project Royalty – an initiative where Zabaneh along with her mother gifted young women gowns to be able to attend their proms.
Isabella Zabaneh, Founder, Project Royalty
Isabella Zabaneh
“This project pressed on my heart because I knew and I heard of so many girls who wanted to go to prom but didn’t have the opportunity to because of the finances surrounding a dress or the tickets or the combination of everything that came with prom as well as graduation and just all the expenses of the season.”
Within a few months, over a hundred dresses were donated to the cause and almost twenty girls were assisted. That was in 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic crashed the initiative when events such as proms were canceled. But this time around, there is a resurgence of Project Royalty and tonight, female students who want to attend prom, but are in need of a dressed are asked to come out.
Isabella Zabaneh
“This is our big comeback event and we are hoping that from now on we can continue helping girls with proms and pageants and quinceneras cause that’s what we’ve done. So I am hoping that this event can kick start a new era of Project Royalty so that we can expand into different horizons – not just Mango Creek, but all over the country.”
At our request, Zabaneh quickly changed into a few dresses, which was modeled down a red carpet that they have set up in the studio. There are over two hundred options. She explains what the experience will be like for each girl as they access Project Royalty for a free prom dress of their choice.
Isabella Zabaneh
“We do have beautiful dresses, much of which have been donated in the past three years. We have lots of new, very gorgeous, very elegant dresses that are perfect for prom so I’m really hoping that we can just help and bless girls.”
Duane Moody
“So they just come, they will try on what suits their body and just go.”
Isabella Zabaneh
“So when girls walk in, our team is just going to slightly analyze their look and what their personality seems to be, we’ll ask them questions: what size are you, what style are you going for and different color preference. And we will bring them to the racks and see what they like and if they pick something that they think suits them, we take them back to the dressing rooms, they try them on, they come out, they walk the red carpet, they see what they look like in the mirrors and if they fall in love with the dress, it is theirs. Complete free, free of charge. We are trying to bless girls and since they are all donations, we are not trying to take any of it for ourselves.”
Zabaneh says her goal is to take Project Royalty nationwide.
Isabella Zabaneh
“I definitely want to take it on the road within the next two years if I can. Living abroad, studying in school, it has been hard for me to take initiative and start things up, but I am grateful for my mother in that. We would like to take it on the road, places like Dangriga, Belmopan just so that we can bless other girls cause I know there’s a need all over the country.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
If you would like to donate a dress, you can contact Elizabeth or Isabella Zabaneh on social media and arrange for pickup or delivery.
