LYNN — A prom for the community’s senior citizens made its long-awaited comeback on Saturday after the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation more than three years ago.

Building Bridges Through Music is an educational after-school and summer program that started in 2002 to encourage cultural engagement between diverse communities. The program has been putting on an annual senior prom for senior citizens who have never had one since 2012. 

The project originated from the Leadership Development Program, which creates a space for youth in grades four and up to bridge the gap between the younger and older demographics in the city. 

The organization promotes the mission of creating a village to raise children to be strong, community-serving individuals, a long-lost tradition in communities. “I just want my kids to grow, do the right thing,” Doreen Murray, Executive Programs Director of Building Bridges Through Music, said. “Be great, make good decisions, and move on to higher ground.”

For some seniors, the program means more than just an opportunity to dress up and dance; it’s a glimpse of hope that the next generation has their back. Brenda Womack, a board member of Building Bridges Through Music, shared her perspective on why it’s important to put events like the prom on for seniors in the community. 

“We always focus on our youth and young adults,” Womack said. “We wanted to be a little different, even though we are an after-school organization, we wanted to focus on seniors as well… give them at least one chance to get dressed up and take them back to what their prom would have been like.” 

Something else this project did for Womack was create a connection with other racial groups that she may not have had before. Being a migrant from the South, she shared it was a common occurrence for prom to be less accessible because of the location and the lack of opportunities Black individuals had in the mid-late 1900s. 

“It’s so rural, and if you don’t have transportation, you know it’s hard to get to, and being Black, you know it’s easier for us not to have a prom because it’s something that our families couldn’t afford,” said Womack. “But these were our white sisters and brothers saying that they never went to their prom too.” 

Womack shared that this event also highlights seniors as the backbone of society, giving them the opportunity to be seen and heard. 

A promgoer, Thelma Riley, shared her experience as another senior who never had the prom experience in her youth. As an immigrant from Barbados, it was a culture shock coming to the states and experiencing things that are so foreign, like her nephews and sisters preparing and making a spectacle about prom. 

Even though this event has been put on more than eight times, it was Building Bridges Through Music’s Communication and Marketing Coordinator Julia Tenor’s first time organizing it. 

The job called for a significant amount of outreach, including communicating with city councilors and all of the guests that came to the prom, Tenor said. One thing that has struck close to home for her has been the origin of the project’s idea by the youth. 

“It’s really inspiring, and it’s great to hear that the kids came up with the idea,” Tenor said. “Kids are always so creative.”

Part of Tenor’s communication with guests was their song requests for dancing. For some, they were obvious choices like Elvis Presley’s classic “Blue Suede Shoes,” but others came as a surprise. 

“One of them was ‘Fireball’ by Pitbull, and I was like I’m definitely putting that down,” Tenor said. 

Murray shared that all music needs will be met on the dance floor and that the music is only one part of the night. Food, drinks, and even a king and queen crowning were in the works. 

“Every prom, and we’ve done it every year, gets a king and queen,” Murray said to the prom guests. “Your leadership team are the ones who will select the king and queen, so you do have a responsibility to mingle. Be friendly!” 

Many local organizations and businesses donated their time and product to the event, and Murray shared how it was the children’s responsibility to communicate with those businesses. Those local businesses included the flower boutique, Flowers by Lorraine, the restaurant Old Tyme Italian Cuisine, and even a cake donated by a community member. 

A moment of pride and victory washed over Tenor as she watched the senior prom unfold.

“It’s been such an honor to have the opportunity to do this and for it to be such a success,” she said. “It just feels so amazing.”