Our Mission
Our goal is to help break cycles of poverty by encouraging vulnerable youth toward positive choices and to stay engaged in their education with the ultimate achievement of high school graduation. We work to build self-esteem, restore dreams, ensure they feel included, understood and important. The attainment of a high school diploma opens doors to future opportunities, setting our youth on a path towards improved well-being and financial independence.
The Cinderella Project 2025
We celebrated 200 students and their guests for our annual Grad Celebration Event on March 2, 2025. This event couldn’t have been possible without the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, our amazing donors and sponsors, and our hosts at the Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront. The weekend has had an incredible impact on our students, and delivers on our goal: to ensure that our students have a day for themselves, where they are celebrated, encouraged, appreciated, valued, included, and understood.
To paraphrase a story from the weekend, one of our students, after picking out their suit, kept saying “I really do feel like a Cinderella, I had no idea how this was going to make me feel. I am so excited to graduate! I wasn’t really sure before today if I was going to bother, but now I am super excited to walk across that stage! This day has been life-changing for me.” This is one of the many, many reasons why we do what we do, and we could not do it without the support of our volunteers, sponsors, and donors.
Our support for our students continues through our Achievement Awards. These bursaries will help support their future goals and dreams. If you like to help us to support our 2025 graduates, please visit our donation page to learn more.
To find out about joining us as a volunteer for next year, please visit the volunteers page to sign up for future volunteer opportunities.
Our 25th Anniversary
The Cinderella Project celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. We reflect below on a journey that has empowered over 5,000 at-risk students across the Lower Mainland since beginning as a grassroots initiative in 1999.
In this pivotal year, our commitment to uplifting those facing adversity is more critical than ever. Amidst the backdrop of increasing societal challenges like economic insecurity, the overdose crisis, and lasting impacts of Covid-19, most of our youth are also grappling with issues of trauma, violence, homelessness, dire food insecurity and severe mental health struggles. The Cinderella Project, fuelled by the passion and dedication of our incredible volunteers, demonstrates evidence of the transformative power of education and community support.
Our annual Graduation Celebration is at the heart of what we do. It is a comprehensive experience that nurtures self-esteem and celebrates the accomplishments of each student. Through nourishing meals, graduation attire that respects their identity and cultural preferences, and the guidance of compassionate mentors, we create a sensory-safe space that fosters inclusivity, diversity, and equity. This weekend of recognition and empowerment leaves our students with practical resources like food and basic toiletries, and just as importantly, lasting memories and confidence. Our goal is to help these youth feel loved, important, valued, safe and able to participate fully in their pursuit of high school graduation and beyond.
As we mark this 25th anniversary, we would like to recognize the continuing support of our volunteers, sponsors and donors. Their support is indispensable in addressing the escalating needs and extending our reach. Their contribution directly supports life-changing programs and enables us to provide essential resources, assistance with post-secondary needs and mentorship to students navigating their many challenges.
Together, we can celebrate and bolster the resilience of these remarkable youth and ensure that more students reach the milestone of graduation, paving the way for a brighter future.
We support students in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Sea to Sky (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton). For other areas, please have a look at some similar projects.
Have ideas? We’d love to hear them. Please contact us to share them with our Board.