Community Races To Help Wilmington Teen Attend Dream Prom

WILMINGTON (CBS) - It's an overwhelming, but awesome prom day for an 18-year-old from Wilmington. Kayla Blizzard is on the autism spectrum and goes to a school outside of Wilmington that doesn't host a prom. But thanks to Kayla's own determination, she's going to the Wilmington High School prom, Friday night.

It's a teenage rite of passage, the senior prom. But for a while it didn't look like Kayla would be part of it. "I didn't go to my junior prom. I've been wanting to go for a while," Kayla says.

Kayla Blizzard holding her prom dress (WBZ-TV)

When she first asked Wilmington High if she could go to that school's prom, no luck. "Two days later they said all the slots have been filled. You can't go," she says.

But she persisted, and with a little help, the school changed its mind, just on Thursday. "This is my chance to be young, and I was going to fight for it," Kayla says.

Kayla Blizzard gets makeup before Wilmington High School Prom (WBZ-TV)

But that meant she had to get everything she needed for the prom, pronto. "It's a little overwhelming, but I'm having a lot of fun," she says.

Word got around and people in Wilmington and nearby communities proved their generosity. Russo's in Stoneham donated the dress and a limo ride, while The Salon on Haven in Reading did hair and makeup. Others came up with, well, everything else.

Kayla Blizzard before the Wilmington prom (WBZ-TV)

"The fact that they would do this for a complete stranger, that's just a good feeling," Kayla says.

After a hectic but exciting 24 hours, she's ready, and beautiful.

Kayla Blizzard and Thomas Morris (WBZ-TV)

"I'm looking forward mostly to the dancing," she said.

Late in the day, Thomas Morris, a junior at Wilmington High School, heard about what Kayla was doing and told her he would be honored to escort her tonight.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.