We have many events in our life that we are going to remember for years to come. Typically, one of the earliest events that we will remember is our senior prom. It is the big dance that we go enjoy before we graduate and enter into our regular, everyday life. The prom is also a bit of a popularity contest, as many of you are well aware of. For some, it is also the first time that they will be asking someone out on a date. In this story, you get to hear about a girl who asked a young man to the prom but she did it for all the right reasons.

This is my son Jon with his prom date Maddie. He is a junior and he has autism. About a month ago, Maddie, a senior, came to my office (I’m a teacher at their school) and asked if Jon’s mom and I would allow her to take him to prom. Maddie had gotten to know Jon through a school club that promotes friendships between special needs kids and regular kids. ‘He’s a junior,’ she explained, ‘so it’s his prom too. I just think he should have the chance to go.’ I told her we would be honored to have him go with her.

During the next couple weeks, she asked what his favorite color was (orange) so she could get a dress in that color. She also made reservations for their group (they doubled with another couple) at a restaurant that served his favorite food chicken fingers and French fries.

I encourage everyone to like and share this for three reasons:

1. To show support for special kids like Jon

2. To show support for groups that promote these friendships

3. To remind us all, in a time when we hear about all the terrible things going on, that there are wonderful kids like Maddie working to make other’s lives better.”