Northwest's Child holds first prom

Posted by Bettina Hansen

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Joey Joseph, 23, of Seattle, emerges looking smooth in a fancy suit before heading to Northwest's Child's prom. Sean George, 27, of Seattle, looks on to the left, and Joseph's mom, Wanda Current, follows behind.

For the first time in its 21-year history, Northwest's Child held a prom. To an outsider, it appeared to be an annual tradition; each step came so easily that it seemed like they'd been doing this for years.

Northwest's Child is a non-profit agency serving children, youth and adults with developmental and physical disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and many other disabilities, ranging in age from 6 to 35. They have school-aged and adult programs in Seattle, Edmonds, Kirkland and Bothell. The idea for the prom came from the desire to bring this rite of passage to the youth and adults in the program who might have missed out due to their disabilities.

Before the dance, many of the students and volunteers met up at Northwest's Child's Seattle location for the girls to get their hair, nails, and makeup done and the boys to put the finishing touches on their suits and ties. Squeals, grins, oohs and ahhs sounded in the room as their dressing-up progressed and the girls couldn't get enough of the mirror.

The dance was held after a pasta dinner at their Kirkland location in the Northlake Universal Unitarian Church, which was decked out in balloons and gold cutout stars, with a professional DJ, Earl Manlangit, who volunteered his time to spin tunes for the event. Two Kirkland restaurants, Ristorante Paradiso and Rikki Rikki, also kicked in a discount for families while their children attended the Prom. It was touching and impressive to see all of the volunteers and staff who donated their time to make this a truly special event for the students, and no surprise to see them all tearing up the dance floor and having a great time together.

For more photos, click here - and to find out more about Northwest's Child, visit their web page.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

From left, Eric Solbakken helps with Akio Furusho's cufflinks while Darcy Doyle-Hupf fixes his bow tie while students get ready for prom at Northwest's Child's Seattle location. Doyle-Hupf is the director of Northwest's Child, and Solbakken is a staff member - Furusho, age 16, of Seattle, won the title of 'Prom King'.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Taylor Manlangit, a staff member of Northwest's Child, looks up at a smiling Ivy Li, 15, of Seattle, who can't get enough of her reflection while they get ready for prom. Li has a developmental disorder called Smith-Magenis syndrome.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Anthony Machute, 29, of Shoreline, Addie Morton, 23, of Seattle Akio Furusho, 16, of Seattle, and Sean George, 27, of Seattle, wait under a mural at Northwest's Child's Seattle location, before heading to prom. Northwest's Child has two school aged sites, this one in Seattle, and one in Edmonds, and three adult programs in Bothell, Seattle and Kirkland, where the prom was held.