The yearly event is held for Richmond, Texas, seniors who are recipients of the local Meals on Wheels program.
On the morning of Friday, May 17, about 250 senior citizens walked the red carpet alongside 20 high school seniors for the 12th edition of the event, which brings together students from Lamar Consolidated High School and local residents who are part of the Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels program.
“You’ve got these 18-year-olds who are dancing with these 70-year-olds. It’s crazy. And they love it,” says Rick Branek, 62, field operations manager with Fort Bend Seniors. “Seeing the young people enjoy being around the old people, to me, that means everything. Everybody loves dancing together, and it’s so cool.”
Held at The Lodge, the event’s red carpet was lined with “paparazzi” snapping photos as a DJ played everything from 1940s favorites to current Top 40 hits. A prom court included a pair from each of the area’s eight senior centers vying for prom king and queen; winners Leon Witt, 69, and Renee Houston, 65, were given a limo ride home.
“It’s magical,” says Carla Ibarra, 37, whose company NRG helps sponsor this event and similar ones throughout the year, dubbed “Great Gatherings.” “They’re designed to bring the senior citizens together and encourage their socializing and keep them very healthy and active throughout the year. It’s very joyous.”
The Senior Senior prom began in May of 2008. Originally the high school’s senior prom committee would take their own decorations and recycle them, recreating the magic for local senior citizens. The event was canceled beginning in 2019 but returned in 2023 thanks to sponsorship from the NRG W.A. Parish Power Plant.
“You will see these folks, some of them are in their 80s or 90s and they are still dancing way better than some of us,” says Ibarra. “It’s such a wonderful time. They’re making them feel very special.”
This year, the prom happened to fall on the same day the high schoolers were having their graduation ceremony. Everyone arrived in their Friday best — with the high schoolers even re-wearing their school prom finest — and sat down for a catered lunch before parting ways.
For some of the senior citizens, “it might be the first prom that they’ve ever attended,” says Ibarra, noting the area’s rural farm community roots. “Of course there might’ve been a few schools in the area and they might’ve had a prom, but some of the students would not be able to participate because they couldn’t afford it or they just didn’t have the opportunity to do so. For them, this could either transform them back, or be the first time that they get to do something like this.”
The event “is a perfect example of how you can respectfully connect to very different generations in a very unique and fun way,” she adds. “Who wouldn’t smile because of that?”
