The Debutante Project

In the spring of 1953, the Service Committee of Upsilon Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, met to discuss ways in which the sorority could best serve families of the Richmond community. The committee agreed to establish a fund to provide shoes for school children not attending school due to a lack of shoes. In the fall of 1953, the Chapter adopted the “Cinderella Contest” as the fund- raising project in order to provide shoes on a regular basis. The participant bringing in the highest amount of money was crowned “Miss Cinderella,” at the first “Cinderella Ball” held in the spring of 1954. The contest was a tremendous success and provided many enriching experiences for the high school girls from all areas of the city who participated. Through the years, the format of the “Cinderella Contest” gradually changed, and in the mid-seventies Upsilon Omega adopted the AKA Debutante Project. Its purpose is to provide enriching experiences for girls who are high school juniors and seniors and to contribute to the AKA Shoe Bank fund. The annual Debutante Ball is the culminating activity for the project. Upsilon Omega Chapter established the “AKA Shoe Bank Fund” in September 1954 in an attempt to preserve and financially support its commitment to needy children of the Richmond Public Schools. Today, this fund continues to meet the needs of thousands of children in the city of Richmond, as well as in the neighboring counties. In 1986, Upsilon Omega Chapter established a policy that a portion of the proceeds from the AKA Debutante Project, in addition to providing funds to purchase shoes, would also be used to provide financial assistance in recognition of academic achievement.