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Chicks 4 Christ Again :: God Stuff :: To Think About... :: A Different Kind Of Prom

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Topic: A Different Kind Of Prom (Read 72 times)

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A Different Kind Of Prom
« Thread Started on May 22, 2007, 2:47pm »

An Enchanted Evening
by Marianne K. Hering

Every day Kelsie Williamson saw the “normal” kids saunter past the special-needs students who usually walked or rolled down the halls. The special kids were overlooked, dismissed as unimportant, almost invisible. But Kelsie knew they deserved friendship. In gym class she got to know their smiles, their quirks, their fun way of talking with their hands, the way they loved music. It made them come alive like the first daffodils of spring, bright and cheerful. That idea kept dancing around in her head.
Then came homecoming. To most of the students at Millard North High School in Omaha, Neb., it seemed like a typical high school dance. There were satin dresses and white roses. There was mystery and anticipation. The pictures, hors d’oeuvres and music were perfect. The dancing lasted all night long. An enchantment seemed to hang in the warm night air.

A Night To Remember
Kelsie, dressed in a midnight-blue dress with ringlets in her long brown hair, was caught up in that enchantment. She and four friends danced the night away like any happy group of teens. On the dance floor, everyone noticed as a boy twirled two girls, their dresses swishing, their arms flying. One was Kelsie, and she and her friend were dancing with a “special” someone — a handicapped classmate from her school.

Kelsie didn’t mind the stares. She knew that even though everyone was watching, their decision had beenthe right thing to do. She and her friends had brought four special-needs boys from school. She wasn’t there for herself; she was there for them. And when one boy proudly announced, “I don’t just have one date. I have five dates tonight!” she felt her heart explode with happiness.

In the days that followed, other students thought Kelsie and her girlfriends were crazy. Unspoken were the questions: Who would go to a homecoming dance with a handicapped person? Why would anyone want to?

Kelsie and her friends ignored the mild suspicion that came their way. It helped that one of the special boys wore his carnation corsage to school for a week after the dance. The baby’s breath wilted, but not the joy Kelsie felt in helping her new friends.

Creating a New Memory
February rolled around, and Kelsie wondered if she would get asked to the prom. She was a college-bound senior with lots of friends, and an unforgettable prom night would be the finishing touch to her successful high school career. But hand in hand with the thoughts of the upcoming prom were the memories of that special homecoming dance. She still had the pictures pinned to her wall. Then an idea did a jitterbug in her brain: She would make a memorable prom — and she would make it for all the special-needs students in her school district. She would invite the ones with slurred speech, the ones cerebral palsy had chained to a wheelchair, the ones lost in the day-to-day high school shuffle.

Kelsie knew that taking them to the “normal” prom wouldn’t work. The dance floor would be too crowded for wheelchairs and those with other health concerns. They needed a prom as unique and special as they were.

The months that followed were filled with mini-miracles. One of her friends who had gone to the homecoming dance offered to help. In fact, Katie Freeman had a lot to offer besides enthusiasm and friendship — she attended a church with an auditorium large enough for a dance.

The Word Was Out
Once the story hit the local newspaper, donations flooded in like spring rain. Businesses and members of the community donated food, decorations, flowers, photographers and cash. Even with all the support, the logistics of setting up a dance for more than 100 people was staggering. The girls stayed up at night wondering How many pounds of shrimp thingytail should we order? Where will we find a DJ? What should the invitations say?

Finally the night arrived, along with TV cameramen and newspaper reporters. Katie wore a lavender satin dress. Her blond hair was crowned in shimmering ringlets. Kelsie had on a pink dress with elegant lines. They looked beautiful and poised, ready to lead more than 40 helpers who had volunteered to make sure the prom went smoothly.

The special friends came. They danced, wept, rejoiced and danced some more. The students in wheelchairs were surrounded on the dance floor and for once felt part of the whole group. When the first chords of “I Hope You Dance” by LeAnn Womack played, everyone went to the front of the auditorium, lined up and stood swaying arm in arm. Katie and Kelsie swayed with them.

The tears, the music, the teamwork, the love — all of it created an enchanted evening that will live on.

Kelsie and Katie graduated and left Millard to go to college. Each has the prom pictures pinned to her dorm room wall. But even in their absence, a little scent of heaven wafts in the halls. It is said that if you visit, there’s a new feeling of enchantment in the air. The popular kids are talking to the girl in a wheelchair. The jocks are gladly teaming with the “losers” in gym class. The pretty girls are helping the boy with Down syndrome with his locker combination. And the funds are in place for a Special Friends Prom this spring.

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brokenandbeautiful
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Re: A Different Kind Of Prom
« Reply #1 on May 22, 2007, 7:01pm »

wow. what a touching story.

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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, & the wisdom to know the difference

Lil SIC
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Re: A Different Kind Of Prom
« Reply #2 on May 30, 2007, 7:41pm »

it really is. it's amazing to read and iwould guess even more to witness

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SIC- Sisters in Christ

SOme days when i look up at the sky i wonder how something soo vast and different could be so simple and peaceful hmmm just other one of gods wonders

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