Gemstones Prom held in Seaford for people with special needs

The Gemstones Prom was held on Saturday, March 29 at Atlanta Road Alliance Church in Seaford. The Gemstones Prom serves as an event for those with special needs to experience a night of different events, from hair and makeup treatments, limousine rides, dancing, karaoke, and more.

Rachel Dukes, a volunteer and half of Dukes Films wedding cinematography, got involved with the Gemstones Prom around three years ago when organizers asked for donations from Chick-fil-A, where Dukes worked at the time. “I got to know more about what the Gemstones Prom is, and I went to a meeting with the board and was like ‘Wow, I want to get involved’,” Dukes explained. “I’ve been helping them ever since. This year I helped with decorations, and I’m slowly getting involved with it more and more.”

Dukes said that the Prom is open to all ages, with guests ranging from 17 to over 80 years old. The entire event is free for attendees and is assisted by numerous local sponsors. “It is 100 percent free, including dresses, hair, shoe shining, professional photography, limo rides, catered dinner, DJ, karaoke… everything,” Dukes said. In addition to providing for the guests, a respite room is available for parents and caretakers of those with special needs to be able to observe the event but to also have a moment to themselves and to talk to others in similar situations.

Shown at the Gemstones Prom in Seaford are Austin Quakenbush, Andrea Hastings and and Cailee Layton (front).

The Prom wouldn’t be possible without assistance from the local community organizations and companies, which range from catering by Mission BBQ and Hungry Howies, ice cream from Frozen Farmer, dresses that were donated by My Sister’s Closet in the past and countless donations from attendees and volunteers, flowers from Seaford Florist, several local photographers, and more.

“It’s showing extra love to people that ordinarily they might not get it, or they might feel alone,” Dukes said. “We even will print out photos taken there so that guests can have them, because they might not be able to access a computer, or they live in a home and can’t get their pictures otherwise. It’s something that other organizations don’t think of, so we try to do everything we possibly can to make it a great experience for them.”

This year’s prom opened their registration on Jan. 1 and had filled all available slots by Jan. 15. “We’re trying to grow it, but we want to grow it at a steady pace,” Dukes explained. “We’re outgrowing our facility, outgrowing everything. We want to make it bigger and better every year.”

Dukes went on to say that they’ve been looking for not only a larger space, but other spaces in Delmarva, such as near the beach, as well as looking to hold the event both Friday and Saturday nights rather than just one night. Planning for next year’s event will start next month according to Dukes, and the Prom is always looking for volunteers. “Anybody can volunteer to be a buddy. A buddy is someone who goes around with an individual with special needs and they just dance with them, go on limo rides with them,” Dukes explained.“It gives families and other caretakers a break but also lets people just love on (the guests) and make them feel special for a night.”

Jessica Bird and Stevie Tull are pictured during last Saturday’s Gemstones Prom.

In addition to the guests and volunteers, this year also saw Jimmy Hoppa serve as the MC for the event, and Miss Wheelchair Delaware USA, Amy Simonson, gave guests their king and queen crowns for the Prom and was the red carpet announcer for the night. While the prom is looking for volunteers, they are also always looking for individuals with ideas on how to make the event better or to provide additional unique experiences for the guests. On average, the Prom requires over 170 volunteers and will require more as they continue to grow.

“It’s always down to the wire,” Dukes said, “The biggest thing is just having people aware of it. It’s buzzworthy where people see it and want to do it, but when it comes to actually signing up for it… you have to try.” Volunteers will be given a one night training course to go over various information including dealing with dietary restrictions, special needs assistance, and general Prom etiquette for the event.

For more information on the Gemstones Prom, including how you can either sponsor, partner, or volunteer to help with the event, visit the Gemstones Prom website at www.gemstonesprom.com, or check out the Gem Stones Prom Facebook page.