On Saturday, March 25, 2006, Dupree had the honor of performing at the Little Black Dress Charity Ball, held at the Pinnacle in Maumee, Ohio.  (Scroll down to see photos.)  Proceeds from this event were raised in support of the restoration of the Lathrop House, a historical house where runaway slaves on the path of the Underground Railroad were sheltered on their way northward to Canada.  With the help of the Friends of the Latrhop House, not only has this structure been physically moved from it's original location in order to avoid demolition, and not only will this house be completely restored, but it will also become a learning center for children!  For more information about the rennovation project, please visit the following links:

Lathrop House Info    Toledo Metroparks    City of Sylvania  

History of the Lathrop House

If you're wondering about the Little Black Dress, I can tell you that it once belonged to Oprah Winfrey, who sold the dress to raise money for her "Angel Network."  The buyer, Sandra Carringer of North Carolina, then sold the dress at auction in order to raise money to build The Place of Possibilities.  Finally, the dress landed in Maumee, near Toledo, Ohio, where it was auctioned yet again in an effort to raise money for the restoration of the historic Lathrop House.  You can follow the progress of this traveling dress at www.thelittleblackdress.org. 

Photos from the Little Black Dress Charity Ball