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Special Kids Get a Special Prom

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts)
Jun 3rd 2009 2:00PM

3Comments

Filed under: Special Needs

A night to remember for some special kids. Image: sxc.hu

About this time of year, high school students across the country begin pairing up into well-dressed couples to attend what will likely be the most memorable party of their young lives. Yes, it's prom season and it's a very big deal.

But for some students, prom night is just another night on which they don't quite fit in. Special needs kids often spend their school years excluded from the social activities and rites of passage that many of us take for granted. But Helen McCormick, president of a Virginia-based nonprofit called The House, Inc., believes that every kid, regardless of ability and social status, should experience the magic of prom night and she's doing something to make sure that they do.

For the past four years, she has organized a prom night specifically for special needs kids who otherwise might never experience the glitz and glamor of a formal event held in their honor. "We are dreaming for children who are excluded from their proms, and ... you're going to see people walk through the doors who are going to be just absolutely mesmerized," she says.

This year's prom had a Cinderella theme and was held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington. The more than 150 students who attended came with dates, friends or parents and were greeted by 41 Marines who formed a sword arch as the students made their way down a red carpet outside the hotel.

And the special treatment didn't end there. Once inside, the kids were entertained by none other than 2007 "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks! "I think it's so amazing with all the kids that they get to have their prom. They get to dress up and feel really beautiful and have this night dedicated to them," Sparks says.

Victor Padgett, who escorted his daughter Dede to the event says the efforts of people like McCormick warm his heart. "There is hope. There is love, and there is compassion for everyone," he says.

Tags: helen mccormick, HelenMccormick, jordin sparks, JordinSparks, non profit, NonProfit, prom, prom night, PromNight, special needs prom, SpecialNeedsProm, the house inc, TheHouseInc

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