prom

File photo from 2016 by Raymond Coniglio, when the event was held at Le Roy's Living Waters Church. Mikayla Radecki is shown on left with Denise Parmenter.

Press release:

The Hope Center of Le Roy, a newly established nonprofit charity, is undertaking the eighth annual “Girls Helping Girls” prom dress giveaway from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 14^th. Girls from all over the region are welcome.

Several hundred dresses, some gently used but many brand new have been donated and will be on display at the Hope Center of Le Roy at 42 Main St. in Le Roy.

Girls can find their size and color and try them on, according to Hope Center Director Rev. Henry Moore, whose wife Valerie was inspired to start this give away to relieve families from the pressure of buying a dress for a one-time event, precious as it is. The dresses have come from individuals and stores around the area and are checked for condition and cleanliness.

Volunteers from the local community staff this event to help girls sort through the displays, find matches to their tastes, and guide them to dressing rooms.

“Sometimes people can’t believe that these dresses are really free,” Rev. Moore said, “but there really are no strings attached. This is a gift to the young girls of this region.

"We want them to know that they are loved by God, that He made them beautifully, and that their lives deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

The facility is decorated exquisitely and loaded with loving encouragement for the April 14^th giveaway.

The Hope Center spreads the benefit of this even beyond American shores.

“From the beginning, we wanted to provide these dresses strictly as an act of kindness, but some people insist on wanting to make cash donations out of appreciation,” Valerie Moore said. “So we decided to keep the ‘Girls Helping Girls’ theme going and pay it forward.

"The dresses are free, and we mean that; but if anyone really wants to make a donation out of gratitude, we will pass on any donations to Tanzania’s House of Hope in the City of Moshi.

"The House of Hope is a large home being built to rescue girls from a life of certain sex slavery; it will be a place where the girls can be equipped and trained for a life of meaning and purpose beyond their wildest dreams. It’s a Win-Win!”

But again, the emphasis is that these dresses are given freely.

The Hope Center was established with a vision to provide spiritual and material support to area citizens and, through the message of hope, call the community to reach its God-given destiny.

(Jarrett Laskett, Shontee Allis and Allison Della Penna. Photo taken by Laura Tenebruso.)

It was Batavia senior Allison Della Penna's plan all along to give her crown to Shontee Allis, a senior with Down Syndrome, if she was named Batavia High School's 2015 Prom Queen on Saturday night.

When Della Penna was announced as Senior Prom Queen, she immediately went up on stage and declared Allis to take her place.

"I knew it would make her so happy and it doesn't really mean anything to me," Della Penna said. "I mean it's nice that people wanted to vote for me but it's something that she is going to remember for the rest of her life."

Allis was all smiles when Della Penna, her friend, called her up on stage and put the crown on her head. She had always dreamed of being named prom queen.

"I was excited," Allis said. "It's good to be queen."

( Allison Della Penna crowning Shontee Allis. Photo taken by Laura Tenebruso.)

Principal Scott Wilson has been to more than 40 proms and has never seen anything like it.

"It was absolutely wonderful," Wilson said. "I have never been a part of such a great group of kids and Allison just represented them so well. It was a very selfless thing to do."

Laura Tenebruso, English teacher and senior class advisor, has known Della Penna since she was in middle school and wasn't surprised when she made the selfless act because that is just the kind of person she is.

"Allison is a loving, giving and compassionate person," Tenebruso said.

After Allis was named Prom Queen, she and Prom King Jarrett Laskett danced to her favorite "Frozen" theme song, "Let It Go."

Allis told Della Penna she couldn't wait to watch "Frozen" and dance with her crown on. According to Allis's younger sister, Summer Mims-Allis, she wears the crown everywhere she goes.

Della Penna and Allis became friends on the school's senior trip last week. Della Penna really clicked with Allis's funny and friendly personality.

"She is always so happy and that is something that I really liked," Della Penna said. "She always wants to make sure everyone is happy and smiling. Everyone should have just a tiny bit of her happiness."

Nancy Brandon, Allis's mom, was amazed by how great the senior class has been to her daughter.

"The senior class has literally took Shontee underneath their arms and just made her feel so special," Brandon said. 

According to Wilson, Batavia High School has a saying "take care of BHS by taking care of others" and he feels Della Penna has really done that by honoring Allis as Prom Queen.

When 17-year-old Sarah Scott was in the sixth grade, she envisioned one day making a dress out of duct tape. That's the kind of kid she was. Artsy and a little out there. Fast forward to May 15, and she lived her dream, with her dress, at the Pavilion Central School's prom.

The best thing is "what it's worth in memories," Sarah said. "It was a lot of fun."

James Kutter, her date, wore a tuxedo make out of duct tape, too, of course. This silliness took a great deal of work but had a solid purpose -- competing for scholarship money.

So it was thrilling when they learned last week that they are among 10 finalists in the annual "Stuck at the Prom" scholarship contest sponsored by Duck Tape brand, a manufacturer of duct tape. There were 240 entries nationwide, including some from Canada.

The weird but wildly creative competition is 10 years old this year.

Sarah says she didn't know about the contest but had joked about making a prom dress out of duct tape with her friends. She had long forgotten about her sixth-grade ambition and the Victorian design she drew and put away some place.

Then a student at school mentioned the contest. She Googled it and decided to take part. But she admits procrastinating on the project. Nothing like a little self-induced stress to get the creativity flowing.

She went to the thrift shop and bought the clothes she would alter and blanket with duct tape. She miraculously came across the old design she drew in elementary school and plunged in.

The finished products were Victorian in style, with a floor-length skirt -- cut away in front to reveal a ruffled under-skirt -- a ruffled bustle in back, and a bodice featuring a large cameo design on the back.

The basis of the ruffled under-skirt was a denim skirt that was two sizes too big. Turns out that was not an issue.

"That's the thing about duct tape, it's easy to work with. It sticks to itself. It's perfect."

She also had little lace-up ankle boots, a purse, chocker and a fancy eye-mask on a hand-held wand, in keeping with the prom night's theme "Masquerade." All duct taped. James, also 17, did his part by covering his suit in black duct tape, leaving it to Sarah to embellish and finish. His outfit also included a ruffled shirt front, walking stick and black shoes.

"He was uncertain about the whole thing at first, but trusting. He said 'It's your prom, you can do what you want to.'"

The design features large, colorful vines, leaves, rosettes and the giant, rimmed cameo featuring a butterfly and purple flower. (Think Porter Waggoner and Patsy Montana in the late 19th Century.)

All of this took Sarah about $150, 86 solid hours of "spare" time and 26 rolls of duct tape, purchased one or two at a time so as not to waste anything.

Duct tape has come a long way. Sure, there's black, gray, white and clear. Had no idea about the crazy color palette available nowadays. Sarah also used chrome-colored duct tape, silver, purple, blue, red and lime green.

She did her own hair and makeup. And on the big night, she and James were met with responses "across the spectrum."

"Pavilion is a small school and it's quite strange for someone to do this," she explained matter-of-factly.

Turns out that duct tape, which purportedly can cure warts and do other wondrous things (it's holding up my Scion's back bumper), is practical for a whole lot of things, except wearing. It's heavy. The dress alone weighs at least 20 pounds. Duct tape doesn't breathe, thus it's hot. Besides being a tacky prom dress, it gets tacky. Sarah tried to dance in it, but gave it up almost instantly.

"I'm going to change my clothes," Sarah told her peers.

"But what about the group picture? Aren't you going to wear the dress for the group picture?" someone asked.

"When's that?" Sarah responded.

"At the end of the night," said the peer.

No way. So Cinderella doffed her gown and donned something she could dance in and the evening at Batavia Country Club went swimmingly.

As for the scholarship money, up until July 26, people can go online and vote for the entry they want to win. They can vote once per day. Sarah and James are hoping people in Genesee County and elsewhere will take the time to log on and vote for them every day.

Go to <www.stuckatprom.com>.

First Place gets $3,000 per person ($6,000 per couple), plus $3,000 for the school. Second Place gets $2,000 per person ($4,000 per couple), plus $2,000 for the school. Third Place gets $1,000 per person ($2,000 per couple), plus $1,000 for the school.

The remaining seven winning couples get $500 per couple.

Sarah, who is graduating a year early, will be attending Michigan State University this fall and plans to major in zoology and minor in arts. She would like to work with Indian elephants in field studies.

In the senior yearbook, she was voted "Most Artistic," and plans to spend the summer wielding and working with rocks. She also enjoys pottery, drawing and painting.

"I guess you could say I'm a fashion designer, too," she said.

Top prom photo supplied by Sarah Scott.

Colleen Fisher just may be the most popular Prom Queen ever selected at Oakfield-Alabama High School.

In a landslide of ballot votes, the 18-year-old garnered all but about two votes to be crowned at the junior/senior prom held at Stafford Country Club.

She is a graduating senior, very well liked, who happens to have Down syndrome.

“She is a wonderful young girl,” said High School Principle Lynn Muscarella.

Colleen’s teacher says Colleen’s thrilled with the honor.

“She’s on Cloud 9,” teacher Adrienne Fuore told Muscarella. “Being named Prom Queen has made her whole year.”

And it has been a busy one. She studies basic life skills for a half-day, then takes vocational classes --called the West Program – at Boces.

In addition, she’s been active in Drama Club and this year she started learning how to play clarinet.

For the spring musical presention, the musicians all learned a song that Colleen could perform on her clarinet. It was the traditional standard “Hot Cross Buns.” She also played the final song with the group and the audience was delighted.

“I’ve never seen or heard of anyone with Down syndrome being named Prom Queen,” Muscarella said. “I am just so proud of my kids here. It tells you a lot about them.”

Colleen's mother, Dawn Fisher, said the event was the highlight of her daughter's senior year.

"She was excited about the prom in general, about life, and when she won she yelled 'I won!'" Dawn said. "It is awesome that the kids chose her. They recognized her. It was very selfless of them."

Prom royalty pictured on top, from left: Princess Randi Zakes, Prince Nathan Klos, Queen Colleen Fisher and King Kevin Beuler.

Inset above, the royal couple, King Kevin and Queen Colleen.