COLLEEN OBRIEN

New England woman becomes ‘fairy godmother’

Jan 25, 2018, 10:15 AM

Cinderella’s transformation isn’t just a Disney story. There’s a real-life fairy godmother for girls in New England.

Betty Vitale started Tammi’s Closet and hands out hundreds of prom dresses every year to girls who otherwise would not be able to afford them.

She does it in memory of her daughter, who was killed in a car accident in 1996.

“If somebody had ever told me that someday I would be giving dresses away and smiling about it in memory of my daughter,” Vitale trailed off. “But here I am.”

Not only is her gift of dresses an act of Kindness, but the community stepped in with acts of kindness when, last year, thieves stole about 15 dresses from her. When news got out about the theft, 900 dresses were donated.

She’s raising money now to buy a small store so she can do this year-round.

If you have a Daily Dose of Kindness to share with Colleen, email her at cobrien@kiroradio.com.

You can hear Colleen O’Brien’s “Daily Dose of Kindness” segment every morning at 7:30 a.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

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New England woman becomes ‘fairy godmother’