A Night Under the Sea
‘A Night Under The Sea’ prom rocks church hall
Monday, February 24th, 2014
By James Lanaras, The Press Democrat
Vicky Allen said being selected Queen of the “A Night Under the Sea” prom for special needs’ students at the Vineyard of Faith Church in Windsor on Feb. 22 was “awesome.” She and Prom King Tyler Williams patiently posed for photos where dozens of their peers and their dates danced rapturously for hours to music by disc jockey Nick Clay, a 2003 graduate of Windsor High School and owner of Full Spectrum Entertainment. “I’ve worked a lot of proms, but this is the best one ever,” Clay said, eliciting a roar from the whirling, jumping, break-dancing and swaying throng below the stage that rocked the house.
Windsor High School student Victoria Cahill, whose brother Justin, 20, is severely autistic, decided she wanted her senior project to be organizing a prom with a nautical theme for students 14- to 22-years old with autism, neurological impairment and other special education needs. Victoria and Scott Griffen from the Sonoma County Office of Education sent fliers about the prom to schools. Victoria received 70 prom dresses from friends, family, thrift stores, through the mail, and from Promises Bridal and Formal Wear in Eureka. The Salvation Army provided suit jackets and ties. On Feb. 9, she held a fitting and pickup of the dresses and guys’ jackets at the church. She also arranged for the girls to have their hair and makeup done free at local salons, her mother Cindy Cahill said. Destination Desserts of Rohnert Park and other bakeries donated cupcakes and cookies. When plans to hold the prom at Windsor High School, the Windsor Community Center or the Mary Agatha Furth Center didn’t pan out, Lonnie Felcher, Pastor of the Vineyard of Faith Church on Arata Lane, said “absolutely,” Victoria’s father Sean Cahill said. Funding for the prom was a challenge at first. “She said she wanted to raise a couple, three hundred dollars. I said ‘think bigger,’” said Pat Dugan, of Healdsburg, a friend of the Cahill family.
Dugan, who has a brother with special needs, recruited his golfing buddies who have daughters to contribute $100 toward the prom. “The feedback was wonderful. I sent out an email in January, and in an hour we raised $2,000. She pulled this all together in six weeks,” Dugan said. From all sources, $5,000 was raised, Dugan said.
Victoria got the word about the prom out during a live radio interview on Froggy 92.9, KLOVE and on Facebook, Cindy said.
Most senior projects require a minimum of 30 hours, but Victoria worked 150 hours, Cindy said.
“It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end,” Cindy said. Eighty sponsors contributed to make the prom a success in one way or another, and many volunteers helped decorate the large room at the church with blue and white balloons, blue table cloths, paper on the walls and blue fish bowls with twinkling lights that served as table centerpieces. “It’s a big success, a lot better than I first thought it would be,” Sean said that night.
There were 112 responses to Cahill’s RSVP invitation. There were approximately 100 special needs guests in attendance, and 50 Windsor High School students showed up to dance and help out.
“They all said they had a great time and would be back next year,” Cindy said.
Each of the special guests received a party favor, gift bag, prizes and a silk corsage or boutonniere, Cindy said. The guests also received a free prom photo from Wendy Filben Photography of Santa Rosa. Filben is Victoria’s godmother.
Some of the teens at the prom, like Petaluma resident Carla Lynch’s daughter Lillian, attend the Anova Center For Education’s Sonoma County school on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa. The school provides educational and behavioral therapy and services for children and adults age 5 to 22 who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, autism, emotional problems, learning difficulties and neuro-developmental impairment.
Lynch said her daughter was bullied in private and public schools but she intends to “mainstream back to public schools.”
Bruce Robinson and his wife Dr. Lorna Catford of Sebastopol brought their autistic daughter Naomi, 20, to the prom. Catford oversees the Collaborative Autism Training and Support Program that trains Sonoma State University students through classes and lectures to work one-on-one with an autistic people in home environments. The CATS program is in a partnership with the California Parenting Institute.
Catford said she met the Cahill family at an autism class at SSU, and she spread the word about Victoria’s prom to the families of children along the autism spectrum of disability throughout the county.
Naomi, who wore a sparkly green dress, was joined in her wheelchair by a semi-circle of friends on the dance floor.
Not far away, 16-year-old Angel, of Santa Rosa, was practicing his moon walk. He said he was enjoying meeting people and hanging out with his friends. He was at the prom with Jessica Smith, who is involved with the Special Olympics. Smith said the prom provides a very accepting environment for the special needs’ youth.
“No one stands out in a negative way,” she said. Victoria said she wanted A Night Under the Sea to be the special needs’ students’ opportunity to attend a prom with their peers. Sean said proms for special needs’ children have taken place in Florida, San Diego and Texas.
Sara DeNatale, 35, a Vallejo resident, was at the prom as a chaperone, but she said she was still asking the boys to dance. “I love to dance and I love the cake pops,” she said of one the many desserts available.
Nicholis Rowe said he was attending his first prom with his sister. Parents, brothers and aunts also had prom dates Saturday night. Not long after the conga line circumvented some of the break dancers on the floor, and The Village People’s classic song “YMCA” got everyone to their feet, DJ Nick Clay reminded everyone to pickup up their free, prom date photo. Victoria thanked all the volunteers and sponsors, and said she hoped someone would hold another prom next year. “There’s no separation here, only happy families, and that’s what the world should be,” Pat Dugan said.
— James Lanaras
Monday, February 24th, 2014
By James Lanaras, The Press Democrat
Vicky Allen said being selected Queen of the “A Night Under the Sea” prom for special needs’ students at the Vineyard of Faith Church in Windsor on Feb. 22 was “awesome.” She and Prom King Tyler Williams patiently posed for photos where dozens of their peers and their dates danced rapturously for hours to music by disc jockey Nick Clay, a 2003 graduate of Windsor High School and owner of Full Spectrum Entertainment. “I’ve worked a lot of proms, but this is the best one ever,” Clay said, eliciting a roar from the whirling, jumping, break-dancing and swaying throng below the stage that rocked the house.
Windsor High School student Victoria Cahill, whose brother Justin, 20, is severely autistic, decided she wanted her senior project to be organizing a prom with a nautical theme for students 14- to 22-years old with autism, neurological impairment and other special education needs. Victoria and Scott Griffen from the Sonoma County Office of Education sent fliers about the prom to schools. Victoria received 70 prom dresses from friends, family, thrift stores, through the mail, and from Promises Bridal and Formal Wear in Eureka. The Salvation Army provided suit jackets and ties. On Feb. 9, she held a fitting and pickup of the dresses and guys’ jackets at the church. She also arranged for the girls to have their hair and makeup done free at local salons, her mother Cindy Cahill said. Destination Desserts of Rohnert Park and other bakeries donated cupcakes and cookies. When plans to hold the prom at Windsor High School, the Windsor Community Center or the Mary Agatha Furth Center didn’t pan out, Lonnie Felcher, Pastor of the Vineyard of Faith Church on Arata Lane, said “absolutely,” Victoria’s father Sean Cahill said. Funding for the prom was a challenge at first. “She said she wanted to raise a couple, three hundred dollars. I said ‘think bigger,’” said Pat Dugan, of Healdsburg, a friend of the Cahill family.
Dugan, who has a brother with special needs, recruited his golfing buddies who have daughters to contribute $100 toward the prom. “The feedback was wonderful. I sent out an email in January, and in an hour we raised $2,000. She pulled this all together in six weeks,” Dugan said. From all sources, $5,000 was raised, Dugan said.
Victoria got the word about the prom out during a live radio interview on Froggy 92.9, KLOVE and on Facebook, Cindy said.
Most senior projects require a minimum of 30 hours, but Victoria worked 150 hours, Cindy said.
“It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end,” Cindy said. Eighty sponsors contributed to make the prom a success in one way or another, and many volunteers helped decorate the large room at the church with blue and white balloons, blue table cloths, paper on the walls and blue fish bowls with twinkling lights that served as table centerpieces. “It’s a big success, a lot better than I first thought it would be,” Sean said that night.
There were 112 responses to Cahill’s RSVP invitation. There were approximately 100 special needs guests in attendance, and 50 Windsor High School students showed up to dance and help out.
“They all said they had a great time and would be back next year,” Cindy said.
Each of the special guests received a party favor, gift bag, prizes and a silk corsage or boutonniere, Cindy said. The guests also received a free prom photo from Wendy Filben Photography of Santa Rosa. Filben is Victoria’s godmother.
Some of the teens at the prom, like Petaluma resident Carla Lynch’s daughter Lillian, attend the Anova Center For Education’s Sonoma County school on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa. The school provides educational and behavioral therapy and services for children and adults age 5 to 22 who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, autism, emotional problems, learning difficulties and neuro-developmental impairment.
Lynch said her daughter was bullied in private and public schools but she intends to “mainstream back to public schools.”
Bruce Robinson and his wife Dr. Lorna Catford of Sebastopol brought their autistic daughter Naomi, 20, to the prom. Catford oversees the Collaborative Autism Training and Support Program that trains Sonoma State University students through classes and lectures to work one-on-one with an autistic people in home environments. The CATS program is in a partnership with the California Parenting Institute.
Catford said she met the Cahill family at an autism class at SSU, and she spread the word about Victoria’s prom to the families of children along the autism spectrum of disability throughout the county.
Naomi, who wore a sparkly green dress, was joined in her wheelchair by a semi-circle of friends on the dance floor.
Not far away, 16-year-old Angel, of Santa Rosa, was practicing his moon walk. He said he was enjoying meeting people and hanging out with his friends. He was at the prom with Jessica Smith, who is involved with the Special Olympics. Smith said the prom provides a very accepting environment for the special needs’ youth.
“No one stands out in a negative way,” she said. Victoria said she wanted A Night Under the Sea to be the special needs’ students’ opportunity to attend a prom with their peers. Sean said proms for special needs’ children have taken place in Florida, San Diego and Texas.
Sara DeNatale, 35, a Vallejo resident, was at the prom as a chaperone, but she said she was still asking the boys to dance. “I love to dance and I love the cake pops,” she said of one the many desserts available.
Nicholis Rowe said he was attending his first prom with his sister. Parents, brothers and aunts also had prom dates Saturday night. Not long after the conga line circumvented some of the break dancers on the floor, and The Village People’s classic song “YMCA” got everyone to their feet, DJ Nick Clay reminded everyone to pickup up their free, prom date photo. Victoria thanked all the volunteers and sponsors, and said she hoped someone would hold another prom next year. “There’s no separation here, only happy families, and that’s what the world should be,” Pat Dugan said.
— James Lanaras
