| Dear Parents,
I have been privileged to be a participant in all 11 years of the Christian Homeschool Prom and would like to tell you a bit about its history and its future. The prom was created by two homeschool moms as a "gift" to their teenage daughters, an elegant evening of dinner, dancing, and of course, dressing up. That first evening, as all the subsequent ones, was about making a wonderful memory for our teens, and for the more poetic among us, a bit of magic. I don't think any of us ever dreamed that we would go from that first event for 120 students, when we just prayed that enough people would come so that the two directors wouldn't have to take out personal loans to pay the expenses, to the huge experience it is today. This year we will have approximately 1200 teens and chaperones!
Along the way our group of volunteer coordinators grew to seven and our team of committed, energetic and creative parents expanded to fit the demands of such an event. As you can imagine, it is a colossal undertaking, but one that we have done with love and pride and gratitude. We all have our favorite moments; for the decorators it might be the delighted look on the teens' faces when they see the ballroom or for the dance instructors it might be seeing ALL the students on the dance floor ALL night long (the hotel can never believe it).
You might sense that I am leading up to something (and you might hope I get to it!); and yes, I'm letting you know this will be a transitional year for the prom. The seven coordinators (the finest and most cohesive team I have ever served with) are winding down their involvement with this event. Almost all of us no longer homeschool; our children have graduated and moved on. Four of the seven are grandmothers! Most now have jobs outside the home. We have loved - not EVERY minute but MOST - volunteering our hearts and souls to this event but now see ourselves as "consultants" to the next generation of homeschoolers who would like to provide a dance for their children.
Obviously there is a need for an event like this or we wouldn't have grown as we did, but it doesn't have to continue to be done the way that we have done it. That initial goal of making a lasting and wonderful memory can be accomplished in many ways. If you have any desire to contribute to the continuation of the prom we would like to help fan that flame. It is not our intention to completely walk away but to come alongside the next leadership team and encourage their success.
WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ANYONE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF PROM 2.0 TO ATTEND A MEETING AT FREEDOM LIFE CHURCH (2435 E. HEBRON PARKWAY, CHURCH LOCATION OF CARROLLTON DANCE LESSONS) MARCH 9TH AT 7 PM. WE WILL BE MEETING IN THE CHAPEL, TO THE WEST OF THE MAIN BUILDING. (This is a different building than where we have dance lessons, but on the same property.) PLEASE RSVP BY CLICKING HERE . Don't worry; we will not take the first person in the door and say "you're in charge!" We just want to offer a chance for like-minded participants to get together and start the dialogue.
We know this will come as a disappointment to many of you who have younger children who have
looked forward to the same experience an older sibling or friend had, but it is our prayer that there will be a special night for them, perhaps in a different setting but still meaningful and all their own. For any of you who have been at dance lessons, or at the prom at 1 am when things are still going strong, you know that if you provide the time and place, these kids will dance the night away. AND give you a big hug on the way out. Frankly, we will miss those moments, but we know it's time to step out of the way for some new organizers with the same vision and some fresh ideas.
Retirement is a hard decision but keeps you focused on what God will continue to do in the future.
Gratefully,
Amy Repak for the rest of the Prom Team
Rita Parker, Christine Kinch, Majen Gibson, Nancy Nelson, Lisa Wade, Beth White
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