Dance To Remember: Special Needs Student Attend Their Own Prom

ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Students from various high schools in Elk Grove and Sacramento teamed up to put on a dance for special needs youth.

"As soon as I brought up the idea, everyone told me how much they wanted to do it and how much they were interested and they even brought their own friends that are special needs and they brought along other friends from other schools to be buddy dates. It was good," says Natalie Orton of Laguna Creek High School.

Maddy Madsen was a buddy date for Angel Rivera.

"We all got together and like this needs to happen, everybody," says Maden. "They don't get the opportunity to have prom very often and it's not fair that they're forgotten all the time."

"I love it," says attendee Angel Rivera.

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They danced. They danced some more and had a ball.

Parents were there too.

"This is really awesome. I've been wanting something like this for her for a really long time. Yeah. Yeah, it's awesome," says mom Keri Rivera.

Mom Candy Cadwell agrees. "He's got a great date and he's really enjoying himself and I'm very very happy that they invited us."

For Jay Cadwell, he had one mission.

"More dancing to do," he says.

Some were creating new friendships, while others helping longtime friends.

"I love it. It's like one of my favorite things to do. One of my best friends is special needs," says Natalie Orton. "She has down syndrome and I know how much this makes her happy so I knew that it would make all the other kids feel happy."

"I love that we had an opportunity to bring them all together and us all together as one," says Maddy Madsen of Franklin High School.

Vendors donated food and supplies and a local church hosted the event.