Homeschool Prom 3.0

Part of the reason I've been absent from this blog for the past month is that I've been immersed in Prom planning, among other things. The 3rd annual Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom, which my daughter and I founded and which I still head up, was held on Friday, May 4th. 

We returned to the same venue we have held Prom at the past 2 years, and that is the beautiful Sutherland Estate & Gardens in Wake Forest., NC, and we also featured the same awesome caterer, Rocky Top Hospitality, and disc jockey, Brian Pate Entertainment. This has been a winning trio for the three years we have held this event!  New this year was  photography by I Believe Designs.

Our theme this year was "Moonlight in Paris".    Our mother-daughter Decoration Committee, Sweeter Than Tea, did a phenomenal job of creating an elegant, chic, vintage atmosphere with the Check-in table, table decor, mason jar luminarias, and a fantastic Candy Buffet.  They truly have an incredible gift!

 

 

We had 166 students in attendance this year, from over 27 different towns/cities across central North Carolina. The age range is 14 -21, and there were 3 girls for every 2 guys because we encourage the students to come with friends, and not just with a date, as this Prom is a celebration of homeschooling and of fun and friendship, and not just for "couples". 

We had beautiful weather for Prom night this year, although there was a threat of rain and one very brief and light shower went through during Check-In.  We changed things up a little this year and had a larger event tent so that dinner and dancing were both under cover, rather that dancing under that stars as we have the past 2 years.  Next year, we'll add some fans, as it got a little warm on the dance floor, since the tent held in the heat.  It didn't seem to bother the kids much, although the drink station was kept very busy all evening, and even ran out of cups by the end of the night.

Our Prom does a benefit each year, to raise awareness and donations for a charity or ministry that is near and dear to some member of the Prom Committee. This year, our benefit was the Faith Food Pantry, located at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, NC.   We collected "extravagant" items such as shampoo, sunscreen, laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc, which are items that the Food Pantry doesn't regularly have on their shelves but which clients really appreciate. A couple of the young people on our committee prepared a slide show of a day volunteering at the Food Pantry, and Jacob spoke to the guests about the impact of the ministry and ways to  be involved.

 Mr. and Mrs. Rego preparing to accept donations.

Door prizes this year were donated by Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association as well as a couple of parents.  We drew names and gave away a number of gift cards for things like iTunes, Chilis, Starbucks, and Champs Sporting Goods, as well as a couple of cool Gift Baskets.  One contained 2 Movie passes to  Marquee Cinemas, as well as a variety of snacks. Another was a French-themed basket containing French cookies, soap, Eiffel Tower notebook and stickers, and a DVD of Les Miserables.  There was also a Summer Fun gift basket containing a beach towel, sunscreen, Dairy Queen gift certificate, beach ball, and other goodies.

Of course, our Prom wouldn't be possible without our wonderful chaperones and Sponsors. We had 22 parent chaperones this year, who also enjoyed the evening very much as they kept an eye on things and made sure everyone stayed safe and behaved themselves. They might not be out there on the dance floor working up a sweat, but they do work hard!  By the end of the night, my legs were shot, my feet were killing me, and I was exhausted.  But we all love seeing the kids have such a great time!

We are also very thankful to the local businesses who supported Prom this year as Sponsors.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System

Rego Automotive

The Wake Weekly

Armstrong Wealth Management

Sweeter Than Tea

Dr. Brian Ransone - Chiropractic Partners

Wake Forest Awards and Engraving

Countdown begins for Prom 2013!