Cinderella's Closet: Where Dreams Come True

The curtains opened and the whole room erupted in applause as she walked down the red carpet, leaning against the arm of a tall, charming young man in a suit and tie. He took her to the end of the carpet and spun her around, showing off her golden prom dress and huge smile.

She was half his height and her infatuating smile, shining eyes, hesitant shuffle and tilt of the head as she waved to her audience betrayed the fact that she had a disability. All the children in the room trying on dresses and tuxes had a disability or life-threatening illness. Yet there was nothing but beaming smiles and an overpowering sense of excitement. They were getting ready for a ball.

The House, Inc., Student Leadership Center in Woodbridge hosted its annual Cinderella’s Closet this weekend, giving away dresses, tuxes and all the accessories to children with disabilities or life-threatening illnesses—all to help them prepare for the upcoming Seventh Annual "A Cinderella Ball" which The House is hosting at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., on June 3.

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