Village News ~ Summer 2003

An Affair to Remember – A Teen Story in Three Parts
By Barbara Hagey – Special to Village News

Part 1: Teens Treated to Five-Star Styles

Imagine relaxing in a Five-star salon while a talented hair designer gives you an elegant new style, and stepping out knowing you look fantastic for a special night on the town. Toussaint Teen Center (TTC) residents had the opportunity to do just that the afternoon of their prom at a Robert Cromeans Studio in San Diego.

Robert Cromeans is a world-renowned hairdresser and one of his premier salons is just blocks away from TTC. Members of the studio staff donated their time and considerable talent to give the teens a fun experience that added to the excitement of the prom. They also sponsored a dress drive to collect some gowns for the girls.

This year’s prom had a 70s theme and, while a few TTC staff members planned to sport Farrah Fawcett wings or Afros, most of the teens opted for more classic styles. Several chose elaborate upsweeps accented with ringlets or braids, others wanted something simple and elegant. Regardless of the look they chose, everyone welcomed a chance to escape the usual grind of school, chores and work to be pampered and do something out of the ordinary.

Part 2: Rain Couldn’t Dampen TTC’s Saturday Night Fever

It’s every party planner’s nightmare. You choose a venue that takes advantage of San Diego’s beautiful outdoors and spend weeks preparing for a big event, only to have an unseasonable storm turn your party into a washout. This is what Edgar Hanson, TTC’s activity coordinator, faced the day before the annual prom.

Each year the La Jolla Bridge Club is the site of the prom – a beautiful space with ocean view seating inside and an outdoor patio perfect for dancing under the stars. But with heavy rains predicted, the patio was no longer usable and the clubhouse was too small to accommodate both dinner and dancing. Disco was an integral part of the prom’s 70s theme, so Hanson had to think of something quick.

The evening of the prom began as planned with TTC teens, staff and datesboarding a trolley for the Bridge Club. After hors d’oeuvres and professional photographs, everyone enjoyed a tasty dinner of shrimp, chicken cordon bleu and roast beef, all prepared by St. Vincent de Paul Village’s Food Services.

Afterwards, instead of the traditional dancing on the patio, the partygoers headed back to TTC for a special treat. A large meeting room had been transformed into a replica of a 70s disco lounge! Sofas and chairs were arranged into comfortable clusters and lava lamps undulated on low tables while disco balls revolved from theceiling.

Video clips of Saturday Night Fever, Car Wash and Charlie’s Angels showed on a large video screen while a DJ played disco, salsa, cumbia and hip-hop music. The atmosphere was perfect for a 70s party. There were even champagne buckets filled with bottles of apple cider. Upon seeing the "champagne," Father Joe joked, "Is it a good year?"

How did Hanson pull this off? The night before, he and other TTC staff – RollandTa’a, Sean Johnson, Tiffany Marlow, Jeff Heil, Greg Drost and Chris Sewell – worked until 3:30 a.m. to decorate the room and assemble the video clips. It was a heroic effort and the effect was worth it. This year’s prom may be the most memorable ever.

Part 3: It Couldn’t Have Happened Without Them

The annual prom is made possible by the generous donations of many organizations. In addition to the Robert Cromeans Studio, this year’s sponsors included transportation by Downtown Trolley Tours, prom photos by Desiree, floral displays by Keith Charles Duppell, tuxes by A Perfect Penguin, and gowns by Heidi’s Vintage Clothing and The Fairy Godmother. Have a Nice Day Café provided 70s memorabilia for decorating.

TTC staff and residents would like to extend a special THANK YOU to all who made this year’s prom so wonderful!