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Senior prom: event for all ages
The event raises money for children and family programs.
GIRARD — A person is never too old or too young to get dressed up and dance the night away.
That sentiment was put to the test Thursday evening at the second annual Senior Prom at the Girard Multi-Generational Center. The dance is an annual event at the center for people of all ages.
Jude Signoriello, center program director, said the prom gives people a chance to relive times that are now long gone.
“Doing this is a dream that I have always had because a lot of people during the Depression could not afford food much less buy formal clothes and go to a prom. Other people had such a good time they just want to get dressed up and go back to relive it all over again,” she said.
The lower level of the center was decked out in a soft blue and white. Sheer blue streamers ran the length of the room, and a promenade arch was ready for anyone willing to pose for a photo.
The more than 70 people in attendance dined buffet style, then enjoyed door prizes and a quick Chinese auction. After the meal, the house lights went out, the moving disco lights came on, and it was the official time to dance.
The dancing is where Rita George, 62, of Girard, springs into action. George attended last year’s dance and Thursday’s dance alone since her husband refuses to come out, but she said that is all right because she can always cut a rug.
“I just love to dance,” she said. “My husband doesn’t come, but that is OK. Last year I got to dance with this really nice guy who they said was a reporter. He asked me to jitterbug, so we did the jitterbug.”
The prom can also be a time for bringing generations of a family together. Ileene Rozich, 76, who attended the dance with her adult grandson Blair Lang of Canfield, said she could think of no better way to spend an evening than with her grandson and friends at the center.
“I lost my husband four years ago. I couldn’t walk, and I didn’t want to go out. I just felt sorry for myself. [The center] planted a tree in memory of my husband and Jude [Signoriello] took an interest in me and got me walking without a walker. They got me out going and doing things,” she said. “Now, my grandson is going to the dance with his grandma and we are going to take some pictures.”
Lang’s reason for attending the dance was simple.
“She is my grandmother. She is a wonderful woman. I don’t know how long I will have her around, so I am going to enjoy her while she is here,” he said.
According to Signoriello, people from 18 to those older than 90 attended the event. She said the younger people take away some special knowledge about their seasoned elders.
“They get rid of some rumors or beliefs about older people and how they live,” she said. “They get an appreciation for the fact that having a good time has no age barriers.”
Lori Fabian, 36, of Liberty, and her husband were far from the oldest in attendance, but she said she enjoys attending events like the prom to support the center. She said the center has something to offer people of all ages.
Signoriello said all proceeds from the prom go toward the support of children’s and family programs. The center has a senior levy, but those funds can only be used to support senior programming, she added.
jgoodwin@vindy.com