It takes a village: Spaulding Academy staff seek donations of clothing, decor for upcoming prom

NORTHFIELD — Spaulding Academy & Family Services is hosting their third annual prom for students and residents, and staff are looking for donations of clothes for everyone to dress up for the occasion.

If not for the Spaulding Academy prom, many of the students wouldn't have a traditional prom experience. While some students also attend public school, most are looking forward to Spaulding's end-of-year dance. Director of Development & Community Relations Courtney Leighton said she wanted to do everything to give kids a quintessential student experience.

“We always say that every child deserves a childhood,” Leighton said. “So, it's our mission to always bring as much to our kids to experience as they possibly can and give them normalcy.”

Students age 13 and older can attend the prom. With about 40 kids eagerly awaiting the dance, the school is looking to the community for help. Northfield Police Det. Holly Harris saw a social media post asking for donations, shared it, and as a result, a couple people she knew donated prom dresses. Donating her daughter’s prom dress as well, she collected seven dresses.

“Given that I work in the town of Northfield and with Spaulding often, I know that obviously these kids don't have a lot sometimes,” she said. “So any way that we can support them and be able to bring joy to the little things that are offered to them.”

While Spaulding Academy will accept all donations, some things are needed more than others. Staff are looking for suits and ties, shoes, makeup, and hair products and equipment. Residential Daytime Supervisor Salena Durette is coordinating the event, and said they are also in need of plus-sized dresses. They want to have a variety of choices for students.

“The prom sizes or the dress sizes are never the same, so depending on each kid, you have to get a different size for everything,” Durette said. “It's good to have all of those options, which is why this year, we asked specifically to get the plus-size dresses, because we didn't have a lot of those in storage.”

All donations go into the prom closet, where kids can pick what they want.

“We have what we call a prom closet on campus, where we store prom items, which allows students to have the experience of going shopping, per se, and then get to pick out stuff to try on,” Leighton said. “Then we store it for use over the years.”

Clothes in the closet are available year-round, and Leighton said they are accepting donations for formal clothing more broadly.

“If it doesn't get used for prom, sometimes our students have graduations or have to go to court, or have other meetings, things of that nature, where they would need to dress up and use it for that as well,” Leighton said.

While staff members make many of the decorations for the prom, Spaulding staff are also accepting donations for decorations related to this year’s theme: "Rock 'n’ Roll." Past themes include "Under the Sea" and "Black and White."

They also hope to secure a donated limousine. The first year of the prom, an anonymous donor provided one. Last year, they hired one with special funds for the event. Leighton said the limo helps elevate an already special experience.

“Kids would be taking the limo from their home to prom,” she said. “Most of our kids that are attending prom live here already, so we just kind of do a loop around campus and give them the experience of being in a limo. Because most of them have never been in a limo before.”

Staff are also hoping to get catering for a student-selected burger bar.

“The first year we did like a potluck, because it was the first time, just getting it up and going. Last year, Subway catered, because they just wanted subs,” Durette said. “And this year they chose a burger bar.”

Donations are accepted through Friday, May 23, a week before the prom on Friday, May 30. To help, contact Leighton at donate@spauldingservices.org.

Leighton is proud the academy can hold a prom for their students.

“Giving them the opportunity to be a kid is super important.”