Her sisters may miss out on prom, so this teen threw one perfect for them instead

As a senior at Minarets High School last year, Tiana Freeland realized that her younger sisters may never get to experience a pinnacle of teenage life — prom.

Students like her sisters who have special needs face a myriad of challenges that make attending the big dance out of the question, she said, from cost to social exclusion to the physical demands of getting into a limousine.

Freeland's solution was to organize an inclusive prom that her sisters could someday attend. This year, the second-ever An Evening to Treasure drew 150 students between the ages of 15-21 to the North Pointe Community Church campus Friday.

"This is an event that brings together the community to celebrate them and who they are, their personalities rather than their disabilities," Freeland said.

An Evening to Treasure is free to attendees because the costs associated with prom can be prohibitive to families who may already have medical bills, said Tiana's father, Nathan Freeland. In California, families spend an average of $625 for outfits, accessories and transportation, according to Yahoo's Prom Survey. The event relies on local and national donors and sponsors.

Each attendee, known at the event as an honored guest, was fitted for a dress or tux in the weeks before prom.

When they arrived, they were treated to hair and makeup styling, shoe-shining and tiaras in a separate building on the church campus. They then took the ride of their choice — this year, a vintage firetruck and a Rolls Royce round out the more traditional options — to the red carpet, where a crowd of family members and friends cheered them on.

All of the rides are disability-friendly, Freeland said.

"If they're in a wheelchair and they want to go in the limo, we'll make it happen," Freeland said.

Each guest is also paired with a volunteer student host, Freeland said, a mainstream peer who has gone through training on etiquette in the months before the event.

The attendees' families have a separate event in a nearby building, where they get to see a live stream of the prom. Some parents might prefer to be at the prom too, Freeland said, but ultimately this is an event for the teens.

Freeland said there has been some talk of expanding the event to other cities due to interest from families. This year, they had a waiting list of 32 people.

This story was originally published May 18, 2018 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Her sisters may miss out on prom, so this teen threw one perfect for them instead."