Students celebrating their prom. Photo credits: Jesse’s House
What first started as a way for Total Victory Family Services Director Dr. Crystal Toombs to celebrate her foster daughter, turned into an annual prom celebrating non-traditional students.
Toombs’ foster daughter graduated high school early and always dreamed about attending a homecoming event. She was ecstatic when she was invited to her girlfriend’s homecoming event. However, when they arrived, they were turned away due to a mix-up on the guest list.
“That left my foster daughter dressed up, and hair done but no place to go. So I just told her that we would create something for her and celebrate her accomplishments,” Toombs said.
With that, the non-traditional prom was born on March 11 2023 with about two dozen teenagers in attendance in Dawson County. When asked why in March Toombs said her inspiration was her foster daughter.
“That is her birthday month. It is before daylight savings time so we had a lot of light,” she said.
For the last two years, Total Victory Family Services has expanded its reach, including more local group homes and the community.
“There’s so many people that receive their GEDs or are in non-traditional settings like homeschool and Charter Schools or credit recovery programs, but they aren’t celebrated with a prom,” Toombs said.
Toombs organization, Total Victory Family Services helps provide foster care, supportive long-term housing, child care references, life-skills training, and academic support for young mothers and youth according to their website.
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