On April 29th, 2016, the MOMS Club of Anchor Bay, MI hosted a Mom Prom, just one day before National Mom Prom Night. Mom Prom is an event that was started in 2006 in Canton, MI as a fun, multi-generational ladies night out. The MOMS Club of Anchor Bay searched for a prom to attend as our MNO, and when we couldn’t find one, we decided to host our own.
MOMS Club members and alumni prom photoWe sought out other MOMS Clubs who had hosted a Mom Prom and momprom.org to get started. The committee selected to give all of the proceeds from the prom to the Macomb Charitable Foundation, an all volunteer-run organization who serve homeless youth and youth living at, or below the poverty level in Macomb County, MI. With a charity chosen, the committee worked for eight months selecting a venue, soliciting for sponsors, advertisers and raffle donations, and vendors to donate their services.
Prom Night was an amazing success! Three hundred and thirty-three women attended prom, dressed in formal prom dresses and evening wear. The hall was beautifully decorated with candelabras, flowers, and purple ostrich feathers to go with our Masquerade theme. Ticket prices included dinner, dancing and a chance to be crowned Prom Queen. Guests were thrilled to receive a special bangle bracelet made by the MOMS Club and have the opportunity to shop among 11 vendors, enter raffle drawings for prizes totaling $9,000 or enter one of two 50/50 cash drawings. Our celebrity hostess, a local TV weather anchor, introduced our charity guest speaker and called out raffle prize winners before turning the party over to the DJ. Women spent the rest of the evening dancing, laughing and taking photos with our prom date, Ryan Reynolds (in cardboard cut-out form) in the photo booth. The whole evening was captured on camera, by a local lifestyle photographer.
On prom night, when I had a second to stop and catch my breath, I looked around at women laughing, dancing, and having a great time! I thought of how much we all need sisterhood, friendship and the time to BE in the moment and enjoy it. It was fun to dress up for no other reason than to want to feel beautiful for ourselves. Everyone did look beautiful that night, not because we wore fancy party dresses or primped and got our hair and nails done; we were radiant with genuine smiles and the joy of sharing a care-free evening with friends. That’s what MOMS Club is all about. On top of having ‘The best time Ever’, as one prom-attendee gushed, we raised over $10,000 for charity.