Connect
To Top
Kristin Bodendorfer

Check Out Kristin Bodendorfer’s Story

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Bodendorfer.

Hi Kristin , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
DIVA Donations began with me the founder Kristin Bodendorfer and my daughter, Amelia. Before DIVA became a nonprofit, We had already been helping my daughter’s friends—girls whose families couldn’t afford formal dresses—find beautiful dresses at thrift stores so they could attend dances and special events.
When Amelia was getting ready to move out, I looked at my daughter’s closet and saw about 15 formal dresses. Instead of simply cleaning out the closet, I posted on Facebook:
“Prom is coming. If anyone needs a dress or if anybody has a dress, let me know.”
What happened next changed everything.
Within about three months, nearly 200 dresses had been donated. I realized this wasn’t just about cleaning out a closet—it was something much bigger.
The collection grew quickly.
DIVA initially operated out of donated/shared spaces, including Pretty & Plus, and eventually received a donation of hundreds of dresses from Fashion Forward. The need became too large for a home-based operation, so DIVA moved into its own formal clothing-closet space.
The vision was simple:
No girl should have to miss prom, homecoming, or another important formal event simply because her family couldn’t afford the dress.
But I wanted DIVA to be more than a place where girls received something for free. I wanted the girls to discover that they could make a difference, too.
That became the heart of the #KindDeedCurrency program. Girls could borrow formalwear and, in exchange, perform volunteer service for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The idea was to turn a dress into an opportunity to give back.
The volunteers became known as “Fairy Godmothers.” They don’t simply hand a girl a dress. They help her find the dress that makes her feel beautiful, confident and special.
Over the years, DIVA grew from a handful of dresses in a daughter’s closet into a formal clothing organization serving girls throughout the region. In 2024, FirstEnergy reported that DIVA had helped more than 6,500 young women, serving 12 counties across three states.

And that’s what makes the DIVA story so powerful:
It started with one mother, one daughter, 15 dresses and a Facebook post.
Kristin didn’t set out to build something enormous. She simply saw girls who needed help and thought, “I can do something.”
One dress became 15.
15 became 200.
200 became thousands.
And a daughter’s closet became a community filled with Fairy Godmothers, volunteers, donors and DIVAs.
Most importantly, DIVA’s message became bigger than dresses:
You can help yourself while helping someone else.
You can give someone confidence.
You can make a difference.
And sometimes, a little kindness can create a Cinderella moment.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We had the displeasure of meeting dishonest people in the begining and then had horrible damages occur to our first location. We had board members who we lost from terminal illness and then eventually we were squeezed out of first location and struggle monthly to pay rent for our new location as it jumped up 1500 dollars So many struggles but we’ve made it so far going into season 16

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So I am a caretaker of my disabled veteran husband. Before I actually reunited lost families for Ancestry.com and omni trace and television.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Summers up at my grandparents cabin in Northern Michigan by Mackinac Island

Pricing:

  • 35.00 includes short dress shoes jewelry makeup hygeine products and flowers all refunded when they use our #KindDeedCurrency
  • 50.00 long dress includes short dress shoes jewelry makeup hygeine products and flowers all refunded when they use our #KindDeedCurrency

Contact Info:

Two women shake hands inside a store, one wearing a crown and sash, the other in a pink top, smiling.

Group of people in formal attire standing outdoors at night, illuminated by decorative lights and a neon sign.

Collage of photos with a central pink sign reading 'Diva Donations' surrounded by people, flowers, and events.

Group of seven women in dresses posing indoors, some sitting and some standing, smiling at the camera.

Clothing racks filled with colorful dresses and garments in a store aisle, with shelves above holding boxes and items.

Three people in formal attire standing in a hotel hallway, two women in long dresses and a man in a suit, smiling.

Group of five women smiling, holding a certificate, in a store with clothing in the background.

Woman with a mask holding an orange bucket outside a building. Woman in a blue dress at a donation stand. Two women in dresses at a table with flowers. Woman in a floral dress walking with a dog in a hallway.

Group of women in colorful dresses posing indoors with a window and signs in the background.

Table with pink dress and accessories, mannequins with dresses, decorative mirror, and donation sign, in a room with gray walls.

Decorative dress form with a floral dress and headpiece, surrounded by flowers and accessories, on a wooden floor.

Suggest a Story: VoyageOhio is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Local Stories