Glam, Grace and Gratitude

Project Glam Girls Turns 10

By Ann Wood

The rising sun shines through the windows of the fellowship hall at Bethany Methodist Church on March 20, 2025. In a few hours, volunteers will arrive to make final preparations for the 10th annual Project Glam Girls boutique. By 3:30 p.m., high school students will begin arriving—many feeling anxious yet hopeful—searching for the perfect outfit for their prom. The volunteers are ready to create a little magic. But this year’s event almost didn’t happen.

The Spark: How It All Began

Project Glam Girls is the passion project of Quinn Capps, who, a decade ago, was inspired to bring joy and glamor to teens unable to afford the high cost of prom. “I have a heart for teenagers, but the idea came from God,” says Quinn. The mission is simple but powerful—to ensure every student has the chance to enjoy prom, regardless of their financial situation. Through donated gowns, suits, shoes, and accessories, everything is provided free of charge.

What began as a modest effort at Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church, outfitting just a few dozen teens, the project took off. Word spread. Donations poured in. Volunteers rallied. Eventually, the growing boutique moved to a larger space at Manteo Faith Baptist Church, where it flourished for several years.

A Community Answering the Call

Then, in December 2024, just three months before the milestone 10th event, Project Glam Girls found itself without a home. With no funds to rent a venue or secure a storage unit, Quinn turned to social media, asking the community for help. The boutique requires not only a banquet-sized room but also adjacent storage for hundreds of formalwear pieces. Few locations on the Outer Banks could meet both needs.

Time was tight. Prom season was approaching.

Then came a blessing. Bethany Church of Wan chese offered its fellowship hall and enough storage space to house the attire. Planning shifted into high gear, collecting donations to fill all sizes and styles, mobilizing volunteers, and spreading the word across Eastern North Carolina.

Community support fuels Project Glam Girls. Monetary donations are used sparingly to fill gaps in inventory by shopping thrift stores. Most of the inventory comes from generous donors contributing gently-used, age-appropriate formal wear —dresses, suits, shoes, ties, jewelry, hand bags and more. Collection centers are located throughout the region from the Currituck County Library in Barco to the Fessenden Center in Buxton.

Meet the Glam Squad

While Quinn is the founder of the project, she wants everyone to know that she doesn’t do it alone. Her core team, lovingly called the Glam Squad, helps bring it all to life. Barb Gudoski, Janna Dimmig, Melva Draper, Cherry Brandi Adams, and Andrea Miller devote their time, collecting donations, organizing inventory, motivating volunteers, setting up the boutique, and working the three-day event. “I couldn’t do it without these women,” says Quinn. “Their good hearts and passion for helping the kids are what keeps this event alive.”

It takes around 75 volunteers to prepare for, run, and clean up after the event. Two seamstresses are on hand to measure and alter outfits on-site so that students leave with garments that fit perfectly.

Setting up the boutique is no small feat. It takes two nights and at least one full day. Volunteers work in shifts. Event sponsors keep everyone well-fed, with meals provided by Ortega’z Southwestern Grill & Wine Bar, Dunkin, and Garden Deli.

Finding enough volunteers can be a challenge, but the community shows up. Coaches at Manteo High School send football and baseball players to help move inventory from storage. Local groups like the Outer Banks Women’s Club offer assistance, and students themselves, knowing Quinn as a substitute teacher at the high school, often volunteer to help with set-up, breakdown, or event-day tasks.

Inside the Glam Experience

As the boutique takes shape, dress racks are filled and accessories neatly displayed impressing everyone with dazzling gowns in every size and color, dashing suits, glimmering jewelry, dress shoes, hand bags, bow ties.

Teens arrive from across northeastern North Carolina, from as far as Elizabeth City, Creswell and Ocracoke. Many walk in feeling unsure, but they are greeted with warmth and treated like royalty.

After check-in, each teen is paired with a personal shopper who helps them find the perfect outfit and guides them through the experience. Seamstresses make any necessary alterations while the teens browse shoes and accessories. The final fitting is a celebration, complete with proud photos in front of the Glam Wall. Outfits are packaged like purchases from a high-end salon, bagged and ready to go. Teens leave with confidence, pride, and huge smiles.

Kenzie Flynn, a senior at Manteo High School, volunteered as a sophomore. “It felt great helping girls find something they loved and making them feel special.” The next year, she returned—not as a volunteer, but as a shopper. “I didn’t think I’d be able to go to prom because dresses are so expensive,” she says.

Kenzie remembers the warmth and welcome she felt as a shopper at the boutique. “We could try on dresses, take pictures, and have fun together, while being financially responsible.” She left with a full ensemble, ­­dress, heels, and earrings, that might’ve otherwise cost hundreds of dollars. “It was beautiful and looked brand new!” she recalls.

For Quinn, the emotional moments are countless —but she recalls one notable experience, one with a student from the gay community. A girl walked into the boutique, assuming she would be fit for a gown. But her personal shopper, attentive to the girl’s needs, walked her over to the racks of suits. The girl felt immediate relief and began to enjoy the experience. She ran to the parking lot and brought in her grandpa so he could help her with her selection. “He loved seeing her so happy,” says Quinn. “She walked out with a tux and dress shoes, feeling like herself.”

The event has a profound impact—not just on the teens, but on their parents too. “Their parents are so appreciative and overwhelmed,” Quinn says. “Prom expenses can be overwhelming, and this event brings real relief.” Rarely does anyone walk out without something. Quinn continues, “They often come in not expecting to find anything, not knowing what they want. Then we pull all the dresses and they try them on and fall for the one.”

Dreaming Bigger

As the 10th annual Project Glam Girls event wraps up, the Glam Squad reflects with pride, and looks ahead with purpose.

Last year, Project Glam Girls served 200 teens over three days. They have come a long way from that first year in Kitty Hawk. But still, Quinn dreams of expanding. Her dream is to move to a permanent storefront, with an extended schedule, and serve students for other events like eighth grade dances, Homecoming, and Night to Shine—a prom for our special needs community.

“I hate turning people away,” she says. “It breaks my heart. But right now we just don’t have the space or funding for a year-round location. We’re so thankful to the church for opening their doors for prom. We are filled with gratitude for all of the community support.”

Still, the mission remains strong to outfit prom-goers. The Glam Squad is committed to continuing this labor of love, and in their words, to “spreading glam, confidence, and joy for many more years to come.”

Author: Ann Wood