Hi group members,
At this time of year, two upcoming events come to mind - Superbowl Sunday and Valentine's Day. Since I am not a football fan, I thought you might be interested in this news about an upcoming Valentine event.
On Valentine's Day eve, Feb. 13th, churches in 26 states will hold special evenings called the “Night to Shine” proms for persons with disabilities. Funding for these events in the amount of $600,000 will come from The Tim Tebow Foundation. Anyone with a disability from the age of 16 and older will qualify. There will be a manual for nonprofit and other organizations to host such an event.
An anticipated 7,000 guests will ride in limousines, walk down the red carpet, be interviewed by paparazzi, will get their shoes shined, make up applied, hair styled, and dance throughout the evening. Gourmet food will also be served.
I know that you might have both positive and negative thoughts about this event. Shouldn't this population be included and welcomed at their own school proms? Shouldn't the special activities offered by the Tebow Foundation be experienced by all prom goers? Shouldn't it be offered in a school setting? Speaking personally, I never went to a prom. I have experienced a few of the things that will be offered, but not the majority of them.
What are your thoughts?
Rochelle Kenyon, SME
Comments
Hi,
I wanted to follow up with this story. In my Florida Today newspaper this week, I saw a picture of two developmentally disabled adults walking down a red carpet. I was so pleased to see that the message above about the “Night to Shine” had taken place very close to where I live. The article reported that 1,400 attendees had the most wonderful time. I couldn't help but smile, wishing that I had been there to interview several of the guests.
Rochelle Kenyon, SME
One of the things I was delighted to evade when I dropped out of high school for early college admission was the whole collection of Social Status Rituals like proms and class rings (which I saw as contrived financial rackets). So I share with you the hidden question: should *anybody* think that all that folderol is what makes us valuable?
However, I'm pretty certain I'd have had exactly the same reaction to the reality. Seeing people have fun and feel valued and enjoying themselves... I'd be grinning ear to ear.
... but then the next step would be to inquire of the charity organizations as to sponsoring events and education for the other 364 days of the year?
Hi Susan,
We certainly have non attendance at proms in common~ Even today, when I hear conversation on the amount of money that kids spend on prom, I still wish I could have experienced the event for myself.
For adults with disabilities, attending an event that non-disabled/challenged people attend is a normalizing activity. In the adult education program for students with disabilities that I supervised, we started an annual event very similar to proms. The teachers included lessons in their classrooms on makeup, nails, and hair. We enlisted the county's transportation program to help getting students without parental assistance to and from the hotel location. We started very small expecting possibly 25 attendees. In reality more than three times that number attended to "party the night away." In the following years, our numbers grew to unbelievable crowds and bigger and bigger locations had to be secured. We added a gourmet dinner or great snacks, a wonderful band, and soft drinks. These dances are some of my best memories.
Do any of our members have similar memories of social activities for your students? Please share with us if you do.
Thanks,
Rochelle Kenyon, SME