4/14/2009
Glass Slipper Project, Zengeler Cleaners Combine For Record-Setting Collection Drive

Area schools, generous customers donate $1.5 Million in dresses and accessories

Northbrook, IL, April 14, 2009: Zengeler Cleaners teamed up with the Glass Slipper Project again this year and the results were more spectacular than ever: 3,650+ dresses were collected, along with jewelry, purses, countless pairs of shoes and other accessories with a retail value of approximately $1,500,000. The 2009 collection drive was spearheaded by several local high schools, as well as all seven Zengeler Cleaners location. The extreme generosity translates into the opportunity for thousands of high school women to enjoy the experience of prom, an experience they likely would have missed without these donations.

“Zengeler Cleaners extends special thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped make this year’s collection effort our very best ever,” said Tom Zengeler, President of the Midwest’s largest cleaner. “students at Deerfield High School, Libertyville High School, Lake Forest High School, Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Carmel Catholic High School were terrific. It’s incredibly heartwarming to see so many students contribute to this cause; their support sends a strong message about their spirit of giving and the importance of the Glass Slipper Project.”

Zengeler also extended thanks to customers and staff for their support of the project. “Our team worked tirelessly the last two weeks of the collection drive just to keep up,” continued Zengeler. “They were as excited about this year’s success as we were. I’d also like to thank the hundreds of customers who brought dresses and accessories to our stores. Their support was also vital to the success of the drive.”

The Zengeler team delivered the dresses to the Glass Slipper Project (GSP) on Friday, April 3. The GSP volunteers will now organize the dresses into “shopping boutiques” designed to help students select the perfect dress for prom night. The boutiques are open to all area high school students on April 18 and 25 and May 2 at Vernon Johns School, 6936 S. Hermitage (1700 West) in Chicago. Since 1999, the organization has helped more than 17,000 girls find a prom dress.

Zengeler Cleaners has partnered with The Glass Slipper Project (GSP) since 2003. The organization was founded in 1999 by a small group of women who recognized that many high school girls cannot afford the expense of attending their own proms. The organization set out to collect formal dresses and accessories, then provide them at no cost to students unable to purchase their own finery.

Zengeler Cleaners’ stores were the primary collection centers for GSP donations in northern Illinois. Each dress was inspected and repaired as needed, then professionally cleaned and delivered to the Glass Slipper Project. This was part of Zengeler Cleaners commitment to assure the students benefiting from these donations had a first-class experience. The entire cost of cleaning, repair and delivery was donated by Zengeler Cleaners.

For more information about Zengeler Cleaners and its support of The Glass Slipper Project, contact Tom Zengeler, at (847) 272-6550, or visit www.zengelercleaners.com. For more information about the Glass Slipper Project, please visit www.glassslipperproject.org. Zengeler Cleaners has seven locations, including Deerfield, Hubbard Woods, Northfield, Winnetka, two Libertyville stores and its headquarters store in. Zengeler Cleaners . . . America's First Family of Dry Cleaning™.