Being homeless isn't just about lacking the essential basics like adequate housing, food, and clothing. It also means being cut off – from your peers and from common experiences. Each year, YouthCare hosts a prom for the young people we serve and it's always a highlight.
In some ways, it’s very different from a typical prom. At coat check, prom-goers sometimes hand us enormous backpacks filled with their wordly possessions. And there are certainly no limos lining up around the block; instead, you might find a crowd of happy but tired kids waiting at a bus stop to catch a ride to wherever home is that night.
But in other ways, YouthCare’s prom is much like any other. There are corsages, photos, awkward slow dancing, and general celebration. Thanks to community donations of dresses and men’s suits, haircuts and “up-dos,” our young people get to feel beautiful. They dance the night away, and for that one night, like thousands of young people across the country, they too get to experience the magic of prom.
Updated 6/1/2012:
Thanks to the generosity of individuals and local businessness, YouthCare prom 2012 was a rousing success! The following local business donated goods and services to make prom night special for our young people:
- The Vera Project
- The Ruby Room
- Brocklind's Formal Wear
- Free Cakes for Kids, South Sound
- GP Institute of Cosmetology
- Presidential Party Bus
- Urban Press Inc.
- Balloon Biker
