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Volunteer
Empowering Girls One Dress at a TimeThe Ruby Room is a nonprofit organization that provides formal gowns to Seattle area high school girls who are unable to purchase their own dance attire. Dresses and accessories are collected throughout the year and made available at boutiques in the spring. Each girl is paired with a personal shopper volunteer who assists her in picking out the perfect gown. The Ruby Room was founded on the belief that everyone should be able to attend their high school events, regardless of their ability to pay. The Ruby Room opened its doors in 2002 and "leveled the dance floor" for all high school students. Eight years later The Ruby Room is still going strong, in fact 2009 was our busiest year yet! We anticipate another busy year and we will need your help to make it happen! Dances are a significant milestone in the life of a high school student and you can contribute to a memory that will last a lifetime. Help us send these girls to a dance with elegance and style! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about The Ruby Room and how you can help us empower girls one dress at a time! Boutique Location 1634 11th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 Boutique Hours Typically Saturdays 10am-4pm Please schedule volunteer time with volunteer Coordinator Tia Hunsperger (info@rubyroomseattle.org) ___________________________________
Volunteering Skills: All of our positions require volunteers to be friendly, approachable, reliable/punctual and have a professional attitude. Some volunteer positions do require special skills; alterations, financial or legal advisors. Availability / Scheduling: All volunteer need to schedule their volunteer shift with the Volunteer Coordinator. If you are unable to make your volunteer shift for any reason, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator ASAP so your shift can be filled with another volunteer. Skills: All of our positions require volunteers to be friendly, approachable, reliable/punctual and have a professional attitude. Some volunteer positions do require special skills; alterations, financial or legal advisors. |
Personal Shopper Position Profile
Contact: Tia HunspergerLocation: The Ruby Room Boutique The personal shopper is paired with a high school student to assist with shopping for a gown, shoes, and accessories. It is the personal shopper responsibility to assist the student through the entire shopping process. Qualifications  Outgoing, friendly, good verbal, people skills Compassionate, friendly and open-minded with the high school students Be flexible/creative while looking for gowns Be able to stand/walk for a 4 hour shift Duties Greet high school student Assist with sign in procedure Work with the student finding a dress they like and fits well Assist with shoes and accessories Clean out dressing rooms and put extra dresses back on racks Assist with inventory or other boutique needs Tips for shopping For many students this is the first time they have ever shopped for a formal dress, so the experience can be a bit overwhelming. Start by asking the student about their dance, if they are going with a date or a group, what color are they thinking, long or short dress etc. Dress sizes can vary from designer to designer. Also many of our gowns have been altered to fit the previous wearer, so they may not longer be a true size 10 During the shopping process the personal shopper may be able to pick up on why the student is not finding a dress Has a back up dress at home Someone has offered to Buy them a dress if they can't find one at The Ruby Room Only wants a "short, blue" dress |
Needs of the Boutique: Volunteer duties, especially Personal Shoppers, can vary depending on the number of high school students have signed up. It is important for volunteers to be flexible, patient and sometimes creative when working with high school students. There will always be an on-site manager to assist with any challenging situations.
Age: We are happy to have volunteers of any age. We ask that volunteers 12 and under volunteer with an adult.
Confidentiality: Ruby Room volunteers are responsible for protecting the privacy of Ruby Room clients. Privacy includes but not limited to; securing students a private dressing room so they can try on dresses comfortably, information about students is not to be given to anyone, including new agencies without specific written consent from the student and The Ruby Room, no photos are to be taken of the students without a signed release from their guardian.
Dress Code: The Ruby Room strives to create a boutique atmosphere; therefore Boutique Volunteers are to dress professionally in all black.
Personal Belongings: Volunteers are responsible at all times for their own personal belongings. We encourage you NOT to bring handbags or other personal items to the boutique. We do not have a secure cabinet to lock up personal items. The Ruby Room is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Parking: Volunteer may park in the designated Richard Hugo House parking spots or there is plenty of street parking. Volunteers are responsible for parking their vehicle in appropriate spaces and paying the meter fees.
Termination: The volunteer relationship may be terminated in the case of non-compliance with the volunteer policy; or for behavior that is angry, threatening, or disrespectful to other volunteers, staff or students.
Last year, a Senior from Ballard High School, came to the Ruby Room boutique with her mom. We sat down with both of them to discuss what they were looking for in a dress. Without hesitating, the high-schooler said she wanted to look like Cinderella. After looking through our inventory, we found the perfect, floor-length, purple dress. We sent her into the dressing room while we waited with her humble and grateful mom -- who continued to thank us while we waited.
A couple minutes later, we heard a screeching sound from the dressing room and figured the dress didn't fit. As we walked back to the dressing room -- we saw just how wrong we were. The dress fit perfectly. And the girl, stunned by how beautiful she looked, couldn't stop smiling while saying, "I look like a princess."
We went on to outfit her with a necklace, earrings, bracelet, shawl, shoes and a purse. All free of charge.
Her Senior Prom was the first formal dance she'd attended.
- Ruby Room Volunteer
Age: We are happy to have volunteers of any age. We ask that volunteers 12 and under volunteer with an adult.
Confidentiality: Ruby Room volunteers are responsible for protecting the privacy of Ruby Room clients. Privacy includes but not limited to; securing students a private dressing room so they can try on dresses comfortably, information about students is not to be given to anyone, including new agencies without specific written consent from the student and The Ruby Room, no photos are to be taken of the students without a signed release from their guardian.
Dress Code: The Ruby Room strives to create a boutique atmosphere; therefore Boutique Volunteers are to dress professionally in all black.
Personal Belongings: Volunteers are responsible at all times for their own personal belongings. We encourage you NOT to bring handbags or other personal items to the boutique. We do not have a secure cabinet to lock up personal items. The Ruby Room is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Parking: Volunteer may park in the designated Richard Hugo House parking spots or there is plenty of street parking. Volunteers are responsible for parking their vehicle in appropriate spaces and paying the meter fees.
Termination: The volunteer relationship may be terminated in the case of non-compliance with the volunteer policy; or for behavior that is angry, threatening, or disrespectful to other volunteers, staff or students.
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A Special Story from one of our Volunteers
Last year, a Senior from Ballard High School, came to the Ruby Room boutique with her mom. We sat down with both of them to discuss what they were looking for in a dress. Without hesitating, the high-schooler said she wanted to look like Cinderella. After looking through our inventory, we found the perfect, floor-length, purple dress. We sent her into the dressing room while we waited with her humble and grateful mom -- who continued to thank us while we waited.
A couple minutes later, we heard a screeching sound from the dressing room and figured the dress didn't fit. As we walked back to the dressing room -- we saw just how wrong we were. The dress fit perfectly. And the girl, stunned by how beautiful she looked, couldn't stop smiling while saying, "I look like a princess."
We went on to outfit her with a necklace, earrings, bracelet, shawl, shoes and a purse. All free of charge.
Her Senior Prom was the first formal dance she'd attended.
- Ruby Room Volunteer
The Ruby Room is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization | Website Design: Tiffany M. Jessup