CES Sebring Sponsors Prom Night to Bring Community Together
[Sebring, Florida] — On April 11, after several long weeks of supplying essential businesses in their area and doing everything they could to help during the pandemic, Branch Manager Kip Doty and his team had an interesting opportunity to show their community support.
“We helped sponsor a virtual prom night,” Doty said. “It was something we haven’t done before, but when we were approached to be a part of this, we thought it was a great idea. Most of these kids won’t get to experience prom, so this was just a way for us to give back and try to give them something positive to remember during this hard time.”
Doty’s brother-in-law has a local DJ company and usually handles school dances, proms, and events in Sebring. With schools all across America shut down, many seniors in high school won’t have the chance to experience prom, so the entire Sebring community got together to make it happen.
“A local fitness center donated the space for the DJ to set up all the speakers, lights, and cameras, and we streamed it live right there,” Doty said. “About eight people were on-site just to monitor comments, handle giveaways, make sure everything ran smoothly. But the best part was that students got to dress up and request songs through the comments, and we got to sponsor the food! We gave money directly to the students to get a free pizza from a local pizza shop.”
As the eight people at the fitness center helped organize and run the event, over 30 people and local businesses that sponsored it announced cash giveaways, prizes, and more.
“All in all, we gave away about $3,000 to these students. It happened all throughout the night, $50 here, $100 there, and even more prizes and giveaways between songs. In addition to sponsoring the food, our branch gave out sunglasses to the students.”
The event was a huge success. More than 400 students from five high schools joined the Facebook Live event and YouTube channel. And based on the activity the virtual prom night got, the students loved it.
“The comments and the talking never stopped. It made us realize just how much the kids were missing during this time. These are big moments in their lives, and even though it was hard to have to do this virtually, it was a nice thing to be a part of.”
A lot of real memories were made, even if it happened virtually. Dads danced with their daughters, friends got to hang out with one another, and the small, tight-knit community got a chance to show their support to each other.
“It was a really touching moment,” Doty said. “It felt great to be a part of it, but I wish we could do more. When you think about your own experiences in high school, it kind of pales in comparison to what these kids are going through. But, the good news is that the virtual prom night went over so well, and the students loved it so much that my brother-in-law is going to put together more events for our community to give these kids more to do.”
But it wasn’t just the Sebring branch that got behind this event at City Electric Supply. When Doty approached his district manager about this idea, he was given all the support he needed to be a big part of it.
“That’s what I love about being a part of the CES Family. We’re as much a part of these communities as anybody else, and it’s important to give back when we can just to show that we care.”