Jack Taylor and Vivian Knight
It was a prom night like most others – girls worried about mussing their carefully sprayed curls and boys fidgeted with stiff collars on starched shirts. Parents dabbed at tears of joy and prom-goers sighed when asked to take “one more” photo.
All involved say it was an evening they’ll never forget.
The first annual Joy Prom matched students with special needs from Richardson ISD and Highland Park with “dates” from Park Cities Baptist Church. Many participants attend Lake Highlands High School.
“I’ve seen a lot of joy on the faces of the kids getting to go to this dance,” said Lake Highlands High School junior Alex Little, “they look super, super excited. They’re smiling and laughing and giving us high-fives, but there’s also joy on the faces of their dates, cheering them on.
“[Youth Minister] Luke Sammons is my small group leader and he told me about Joy Prom. I figured it would be a great way to love kids who don’t always get shown this love. I think they’re going to have a great time. They don’t always get to experience this. It’s a great opportunity for us to love them, to show God’s love. “
Alex, who usually attends most events at LHHS, said participating in Joy Prom made him think about what it would be like to be excluded.
“It would be a bummer to not get to go to school dances and parties. They’re usually pretty fun, especially a prom. I’d feel like I was missing out on something. “
Aaron Newberry, Sahar Haghighi and Reid Curnutt
Layne Matthews, an LH freshman, agreed.
“This prom is extra-special having these kids here. They just bring so much more life to the party. Seeing their faces, I can just see the joy of having this opportunity to experience something they don’t normally get to experience. It’s been something they can look forward to. It’s just great to see their smiling faces coming off the bus.”
Reese Walling and Katie Passmore were happy to pose for photos
Students arrived via limo buses donated by Premier Transportation and walked down red carpets like Hollywood stars. Inside, LeForce Entertainment donated DJ services and students danced to live music courtesy of Emerald City Band. Food was contributed by Chik-fil-A on Southwestern at 75.
“I thought it was one of the best nights of my life,” said LHHS junior Reid Curnutt when the evening was over. “Serving those amazing kids was such a great experience. I had a great time hanging out with everyone, and I hope that they had the best night of their lives. I learned that nothing is more rewarding than trying to make others happy and serving God through that.”
“I had a life-changing experience and met a lot of new people from my school that I say hi to every day now,” said Reese Walling. “I learned that everyone, disabled or not, just wants to live life and have fun. We aren’t that different.”
Michael Hood gives his date the red carpet treatment
