Last Friday, Dec. 1, Rosary sophomores hosted a winter formal for guests from RAD Camp and the Special Needs Ministry of the Orange Diocese. The event welcomed people ages 14 to 50 with developmental disabilities to experience a night of glamour and enjoyment. Prior to the event, the sophomore class helped plan the event and chose the dance theme: “A Fairytale Christmas.”
They were able to make this day truly a fairytale for guests by providing lots of fun activities. For starters, volunteers prepared a “beauty area” for guests to put on makeup and style their hair and nails. Additionally, the Royal Runway Club set up an area for guests to browse through donated dresses and choose one to wear for the night.
Lainey Goldstein ’24, the president of Royal Runway, provided details on what her club contributed to the event’s excitement: “We set up the room, arranging the dresses by size, and started to greet anyone coming in to look for a dress. One girl asked for a blue dress, so the volunteers looked through all the dresses to find her a beautiful blue gown. It was really special to see one girl’s eyes light up at the sight of all the dresses. She tried on a gold dress in her size and could not stop smiling. It filled our hearts to see her feel so excited and confident in her new dress.”
With the help of a group of Servite Friars, the sophomores set up for the dance and began to welcome guests at 5 p.m. To keep the Fairytale Christmas theme going, as guests entered the dance, they each received a corsage or boutonniere and a crown. There was a big turnout, as about 100 guests attended the event. Not only was there a great DJ and tons of time to dance, but also fun lawn games, a photo booth, formal photos, and Flame Broiler chicken bowls for dinner!
Parker Yee ’26 shared her experience at the dance: “The event was all about having a fun dance for people with disabilities or special needs. We got to help them get ready and hangout with them! It was so special to see them feel welcomed and included in such a fun environment. I mostly enjoyed dancing and hanging out with them.”
Overall, the winter formal was a success. Everyone who attended the event left with great new memories, tons of pictures from the photo booth, and big smiles!
