SPARTA, Mich. -- The Best Prom Ever is nearly upon us: a night for high school students with disabilities to attend an event they may not otherwise get a chance to experience. This year, the event is breaking records, with almost double the number of people signed up to attend the event this Saturday compared to last year.
A few weeks ago, organizers were hoping to exceed last year's attendance 900, but they were at 600 registered. Now attendance is expected to be at capacity: th 1,500 people.
"After our interview (with FOX 17 News), I was shocked, excited and surprised by the numbers," said Renne Wyman, event organizer and teacher at Sparta High School. "There were nearly 1,200 people within 48 hours of the interview. We hit 1,100, which was our goal, and went past it."
The Best Prom Ever will feature dancing, food, limo rides, and dresses, all free of charge.
"It is fun, relaxing, you get to make new friends, have a great time, and you get pictures taken with them in a photo booth," said Taylor Vogg, an 11th grade student at Sparta High School. "It is just a great time."
Vogg and her classmate Angel Groth have attended a previous Best Prom Ever. "The day after the event, my legs are frozen," said Wyman. "I can't move them. I can't do the stairs the day after the dance. I should probably jump less on the dance floor, don't you think? Less jumping would be good. I have no dance moves."
"I have no dance moves either," confessed Groth, a junior at Sparta High School. "That's why I just do this," she said as she demonstrated a move with both of her hands in the air moving them up and down.
"That is why we had to have a special education dance," Wyman said. "That is why we need Best Prom Ever. These are stunning kids, and if they are not going to dances and the football games, [then] imagine the kids with greater disabilities. They are really not going to those events. I guess that's why it keeps growing."
The students know how much work goes into planning the event and why it's all worth it. Almost all of the food, plates, limos, and dresses are donated, but they still need a few hundred cups. They say they will pay for whatever they need and that what they pay for is worth every penny.
"When we watch those guests come in the door, or the squeals of excitement as they get into the limo, I get goosebumps just remembering it," said Wyman. "It is so profoundly moving to be in the presence of that kind of joy and to think you did anything to help make that happen. It is really powerful stuff."
Sparta High School's prom is the following weekend, but the girls say they are more excited about the Best Prom Ever.
Wyman says it breaks her heart that they're going to have to turn away unregistered people at the door, so they encourage people to double-check if their name is on the list before attending. Their Facebook page includes links to the guest list. You can learn more about Best Prom Ever on their website.
