Margaret Contreras
Staff Writer
The La Verne Community Center hosted the annual Sweetheart Dance for teens and adults with special needs on Friday.
The International Order of the Alhambra, a Catholic fraternal organization, local chapter sponsors the annual event. The organization donated refreshments and desserts as some of their members volunteered to help organize and work during the event.
As the guests walked in through a balloon arch, they were greeted by the staff and volunteers. Heart cutouts, balloons, streamers and Valentine’s Day signs hung on the walls and were placed on the tables. Roughly 100 guests in all attended, with 15 staff and volunteers working the event.
Hershey’s Kisses and heart confetti were also scattered at each table.
Guests took photos to remember the night with a photo booth.
The pink, red and white backdrop along with props were available for guests to hold while they struck a pose for the camera.
Some of the guests had known each other for years. Some exchanged gifts.
“Our intent as an organization is to do whatever we can for the special needs (community),” Chris Braun of the Alhambra organization California region said. “ We want them to have a place that is for them. This event is our biggest of the year.”
“My son, Eric, looks forward to this,” said Marcia Shackelford, mother of one of the guests. “He has been excited for at least a week. We have been attending these events for years, so they are familiar with each other,”
The DJ played soft rock, disco, pop and special requests.
Attendees danced, chatted, ate cupcakes, cookies and drank punch.
The International Order of the Alhambra welcomes members over the age of 18. It helps special needs communities across the nation to feel a sense of belonging.
For more information, visit orderalhambra.org.
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
Chris Rogers is a junior photography major with a minor in art history. He is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and photography editor of La Verne Magazine. He is also a freelance photographer and movie stills photographer. He discovered his love for photography at a young age as he and his family traveled the world in their goal to reach all seven continents. They were fortunate to reach their seventh continent in the winter of 2019. He have a deep love for photography and loves being able to tell an entire story through one still image at a time. His work can be found at ChrisRogersPhotography.com.
