By Margaret Hicks
Staff Writer
mhicks@theoklahomaeagle.net
Candace (Jamison) Fields, is the founder of The Cinderella Experience, now the TCE Foundation, provides the ultimate prom experience for high school girls who are in foster care. The experience includes the dress, the shoes & accessories, the makeup, and professional hair.
About Candace Fields
Fields was born and raised in Tulsa. She comes from a family of pastors and ministers and has a heart for serving people. However, she said she knows she is not called to be a pulpit minister and wondered what she could do serve people and combine that with her love for fashion.
Fields said she grew up a tomboy. She was a basketball player. She said she wore tennis shoes to her prom.
When she went away to school at the Texas Women’s University of Fashion and Merchandising, she came across a group of girls that need the things that a young woman needs to go to go to a prom. Thus, The Cinderella Experience was born. Fields said that she believes “every girl has two opportunities to show herself to the world; on her prom day and her wedding day.”
Fields brought together a group of photographers, makeup artists, and hair stylist to begin the makeovers. She said it is an impactful, and emotional process when seecting shoes, a dress, etc. with a girl who would normally be this with her mother. The girls are often afraid and/or ashamed to let others know that they are in foster care. The dress and make over restore their confidence.
Why Cinderella?
As you may remember from the fairy tale Cinderella, as told by Fields “she was the forgotten person” who with the help of a fairy godmother was able to go to the ball. In the case of 20 young ladies per year, with the aid of their fashion godmothers, they will be able to attend their prom. Once the foundations 501(c)3 is finalized they will be serving 100 young ladies per year. The foundation has plans to expand their services to young men via The Chivalry Experience. That may begin in 2017.
Fields said that she was devastated when she learned that “80% of Oklahoma teens are couch hopping.” In other words, they are living from house to house. She said that Tulsa has the highest rate of teens in foster care.
