Did you have a date for the prom?

By Rachelle Leduc, Staff Writer leduc13@up.edu

Music, dancing, bowties, streamers, balloons, photo booth and Hawaiian punch. Sounds an awful lot like a high school prom. Late Saturday, 30 University of Portland students attended the harvest prom with their new friends at Assumption Village.

As part of community service and outreach, students volunteered three hours of their Saturday to put on dresses, suits and sweater vests and spend an afternoon dancing and socializing with the residents at Assumption Village retirement home in Portland.

"It's a good opportunity to get out in the community and have an impact," sophomore Jared Johnson said.

Service and Justice Coordinator Lauren Bene, who regularly volunteers at the retirement home, worked with activities chair Laura McCormack from Assumption Village to organize the Harvest Prom.

"This year, UP has really been more involved than other years," Laura McCormack said. "We did have a prom last year, but there was a fraction of the people."

Bene and McCormack began planning the prom about a month ago and were excited about all the interest and enthusiasm they received from residents and UP students.

"They are thrilled UP students [came], they're huge Pilot fans," sophomore Lauren Bene said.

Many of the residents had been planning what they were going to wear to the prom weeks in advance.

Assumption Village resident Ella Lundborg wore a sparkling pink bead dress.

"I had two dresses; I said I'll try them on and I like this one, it feels good," Lundborg said.

As at any school dance, no one wanted to be the first on the dance floor. But once people started dancing there was no stopping them as they rocked out to music from the 1920s through the 1960s.

"The big band era was my favorite," Assumption Village resident Gordon Tandy said.

As the afternoon continued, more UP students and residents showed up to get their jive on and learn some new signature moves.

"I love dancing, I like prom and I like service things. This was a great opportunity with a different demographic than I'm used to" sophomore Ryan Kain said. "And to go have a prom with them is great."

Bene was really happy with the all the interest of the UP community as well as the success and turnout of the event.

"I'm the hall director in Corrado, and she's my SJC," Michael Wode said. "She's been talking about it all week so I'm glad I came out."

And while "going to prom" may not seem like much, Bene believes it really does make a difference.

"Sometimes people don't feel they have a gift to give people, but just talking to people and donating an hour or two weeks means so much to them," Bene said.