Bath Beach

Bay Ridge lawyer helps autistic teens go to prom

Bath Beach Kiwanis Club made dreams come true

June 22, 2016 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Miss Copper City Ashley Davis poses for a photo with one of the teens who attended the Kiwanis Club of 86th Street and Bath Beach’s Dream Prom in Bensonhurst on Wednesday. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese
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The 86th Street Kiwanis Club of Bath Beach helped make some dreams come true for a group of autistic high school students on Tuesday night as it hosted a Dream Prom at Sirico’s on 13th Avenue in Bensonhurst.

The event is in its third year, and Steve Spinelli, the next president of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association, has been one of the primary organizers since its inception.

“Three years ago, we heard of another club in Staten Island that was doing it,” Spinelli explained. “We had a meeting with them and they helped us with it. We used their model, but we gave it our little Brooklyn twist and it has been a big success since then.”

Roughly 60 teens from various schools throughout southern Brooklyn attended the event free of charge thanks to many neighborhood businesses that made donations. All the teens pay for are their suits and dresses, and even those are provided free of charge if needed.

“This is an amazing event that the community helps out with,” Spinelli said. “We reached out to the community and local businesses like Sirico’s, Romantique Limo, 13th Avenue Florist and numerous others, friends of ours and business leaders who made donations to help make this possible.”

In addition to music and dancing, the students were treated to dinner and dessert. There was a photobooth with props set up for them, and Miss Copper City Ashley Davis and Miss New York 2015 Jamie Lynn Macchia were in attendance, dancing and posing for pictures with the attendees.

“It’s just like any other prom,” Spinelli said. “They come here and have a good time. They don’t get this opportunity like this normally, but it’s just like every other prom. They get dressed up, they look beautiful and handsome and they have a great time dancing.”

 

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