By Melissa Wagoner
When the participants of the Community Transition Program (CTP) and Silverton Mainstay learned they had missed the cutoff to attend Salem’s “A Night to Shine” – a prom welcoming adults with special needs, they were heartbroken.
“Registration had closed there and they were full,” Rachel Ayers, an instructor with both programs, said.
That’s when Pastor Laura Beville stepped in.
United Methodist Church’s Pastor Laura Beville (above), and other instructors and adult friends attending Community Transition Program and Silverton Mainstay’s joint prom night for adults with special needs. Courtesy Holly Jaynes
“I said, we could host something,” Beville, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Silverton, which houses both programs, recalled. “And that next week I asked our council.”
The answer she received was not only yes, but also, how can we help?
“It was a wonderful team effort and an opportunity to love and support kiddos who don’t always get love and support,” Pastor Beville said, listing the many duties her parishioners assumed including furnishing formal wear, fashioning boutonnieres, handling refreshments and decorating. “It’s been amazing to see.”
Themed “Starry Starry Night,” the prom was held on March 10 in the community room at the United Methodist Church with an estimated 15-20 CTP and Mainstay participants as well as friends, family, volunteers and teachers.
“These teachers clearly love and adore their students and want them to have special experiences,” Pastor Beville said of the amount of work employed toward making the night a special one – especially for those who have never attended a prom.
“Some of them may have gone to some in high school,” Ayers said. “But some of the current CTP students, they were in the class of 2020 or 2021, so there was no prom for them. So, this might be their first. Or for some students the big full prom might be overwhelming.”
Which is why “Starry Starry Night,” a small prom, filled with friends and family in a familiar place, was such a success.
“I’ve seen some of the kids from the CTP program that, tonight, have come out of their shell,”
, office manager for the church, said.
“It’s just a testament to what an inclusive community we have,” Ayers said.
