The Herald-Palladium, 9/28/2009

One special night

Prom gives people with disabilities a chance to dance

By JEREMY D. BONFIGLIO
H-P Features Writer

ST. JOSEPH - Leah Fisher lets her hand run across the fabric as she glides past a rack of dresses.

She found her own ensemble a while ago, but that doesn’t stop the 19-year-old Benton Harbor woman from looking.

“My dress is a pinkish color and has sequins,” Fisher says, allowing her fingers to linger on the lace detail of a floor-length baby blue gown. “They’re getting alterations done on it now.”

A few steps away, Jimmy Rodgers, Fisher’s 26-year-old boyfriend from Baroda, is holding a newly acquired blue vest that he insists will help him “look gooood.”

“I can show the girls how nice I dress,” he says through a wide grin.

The once-vacant Orchards Mall storefront between Deb and The Buckle is currently prom central. Women peer into three-way mirrors as they try on cocktail dresses with black polka dots and long flowing blue velvet gowns. The men have choices, too. Beyond the black tuxedos lined up across a back wall are a selection of pinstriped suits and one statement-making mauve sport coat.

“I just got an e-mail from a mom whose son picked up a tux the other day,” says 22-year-old volunteer Hannah Couldry, managing the chaos from behind a counter. “He was so excited he wanted to wear his tux to school. She says he wants to wear it every day.”

The clothes have all been donated; the storefront has been, too. It’s part of an extraordinary effort to create one very special dance for teens and adults with physical and mental disabilities. On Saturday, about 300 people with special needs will be paired with volunteer escorts who will guide them through “The Prom: An Evening with the Stars” at St. Joseph’s First Church of God.

A special evening

A red carpet complete with paparazzi will line the entrance. Inside there will be formal prom pictures and karaoke, touch-up stations for hair and makeup, and rounds of “Deal or No Deal.” There also will be dinner and dancing and enough crowns to make everyone feel like kings and queens for a night.

“It’s just a nice way to spread some love through the community and offer something to people who are sometimes overlooked,” says Kathy Craig, who along with husband Chris is organizing the event.

The idea for the prom came after the Craigs’ 17-year-old son Connor, who has Down syndrome, was invited to attend the Baroda Church of God’s SONShine circle, a special-needs religious service on the third Sunday of each month.

“He came back and just loved that place,” Kathy Craig says. “So I started thinking, ‘How can we support what they’re doing?’ ”

Craig, a member of First Church of God’s outreach ministry, which has raked leaves for neighbors and washed dogs for free, began looking for ideas. After stumbling across an article online, he contacted the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, which hosted a special-needs prom last year. She and the entire First Church outreach ministry were sold. It was time to dance.

Partnering with volunteers from the Baroda Church of God, First Congregational Church, Overflow Church and First United Methodist Church, the First Church of God has held dress and suit drives, opened the Orchards Mall hub and secured discounted and donated services from hair and makeup to a deejay and tuxedo rentals.

“It takes a ton of people to pull this off,” Chris Craig says, “but that’s the great thing about this whole thing. It’s gotten quite a few churches together with a common cause. It just shows people can accomplish big things by coming together, and they can have fun doing it.”

Although the Craigs say they were reluctant to be placed in charge of the event because they didn’t want to appear “self-serving,” it’s clear they are particularly close to the cause. Connor walks into the living room of their St. Joseph home holding the tuxedo he will be wearing on Saturday.

Joy in a cummerbund

“I got it from the store,” he says, adding that he’s actually 171⁄2. “It has a …” he pauses and moves his hands across his stomach, looking at Kathy for the word.

“Cummerbund?” she says.

“Yes, it has a blue cummerbund. My favorite.”

If Connor is excited about the color of a cummerbund, then he’s downright ecstatic about the chance of securing a dance with his Blossomland Learning Center classmate Gabby Smith.

“Every day he’s come home and asked, ‘Did Gabby register yet?’ ” Kathy Craig says. “Last Friday he walks in and yells, ‘Yes, I’m home and I have some great news!’ He never does that. Then he says, ‘I’ve got Gabby’s registration in my backpack.’ ”

The registration process, which continues through Friday, may be as simple as completing an online form, but the nature of the event means it also has to be thorough. In addition to standard contact information, there are spaces for medical history, necessary medications and dosage required if needed during the hours of the prom, a primary physician’s name and number, and an emergency contact. Volunteers will be stationed in bathrooms, and at least two nurses will be on duty should problems arise.

“We have a smorgasbord of special needs,” Kathy Craig says. “Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, physically impaired. Some people don’t even have a diagnosis. We have people who are 16 and people who are 50 that never had a chance to go to prom before. We wanted to do everything we could to eliminate those barriers. Sometimes God’s love shows up in sequins.”

A navy dress

Back at prom headquarters, Colleen Siedenstrang of Benton Harbor is shopping for a dress for her 17-year-old daughter, Brooke, who learned about the prom through her teacher. Brooke’s battle with epilepsy has left her with developmental delays.

“When she said she wanted to do this I said, ‘Are you sure?’ because she’s not a girly girl, and I told her she would have to dress up,” Colleen Siedenstrang says. “She knows her limitations, but it doesn’t slow her down. She just has this spirit that she can do anything. ”

Brooke Siedenstrang tries on a floor-length, deep navy blue velvet dress and stands in front of a mirror.

“This is the one,” she says. “This is it. I like the color and the way it feels. I’m really excited.”

“OK,” her mom says, “Are you ready to get that dress off now?”

“No,” Brooke says, smiling.

Couldry, meanwhile, is simultaneously taking a hair and makeup appointment over the phone and checking out three other customers from behind the counter. She is the one who secured the mall storefront for free after an initial quote of $300. Although today is the last day to shop, the store will become a beauty parlor in the days leading up to the big event. When asked why she is working so hard for this cause, Couldry doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“I had a best friend who was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in the second grade,” she says. “She died in the fourth grade, and I’ve never forgotten her. I just wanted to come here and do what I could.”

Since everyone who attends will be paired with their own escort, this prom isn’t about securing a date – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t romance in the air.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for such a long time,” Fisher says. “I’ll get to dance with my boyfriend. He is so friendly to me, and he talks sweet all the time. He’s just a great guy.”

When asked what he likes about Fisher, a visibly embarrassed Rodgers demonstrates some of that sweet talk.

“She’s one beautiful girl with those blue eyes,” he says. “I call her princess because she was special. She’ll be in my heart forever.”

jbonfiglio@TheH-P.com