Angelica at the Prom!

When Angelica and Heather met at Lutheran Services of Georgia’s office in Atlanta on a Saturday in late April, they became fast friends. They were both participants in LSG’s FACES program, which helps individuals with developmental, intellectual, or physical disabilities thrive in their communities. They were both in high school. And, most important, they both loved to dance. During the couple of hours that they stayed at LSG’s office, they rocked out to ’70s music, showing off their dance moves. So it was no wonder when Heather began to talk about her plans to go dancing at the prom a week later. Angelica said that she had never been to prom before, and that gave Heather an idea: why don’t they both go to the dance?

Angelica said that she would love to go to the prom, but that left Mary, the Support Companion who cares for Angelica, in a bind: Angelica had no dress, no shoes, no makeup, and the dance was one week away. Everything worked out in the end, however. Mary gave her a dress to wear, and Angelica found some shoes to go with it. By the time that the night of the prom rolled around, Angelica was more than ready to be there.

That night, Heather and Angelica danced their socks off. According to Angelica, the prom was a blast. After taking pictures and eating dinner, they took off their high heels and put on their dancing shoes. “We danced from 6 o’clock to 10 o’clock nonstop,” she recalled. It was a moment of joy for the two young ladies who loved to dance but who had never been to the prom before. Safe to say, they will probably be going back next year.