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From the Greenville Jaycees

The Greenville Jaycees will be hosting Prom Through the Decades, a benefit event to raise money for The Kelly Children’s Home in Washington.

The purpose of the Greenville Jaycees chapter is to become a force for good in the community, determining community needs and providing solutions by planning and facilitating community service projects. In the act of serving, members receive hands-on experience, which translates to the enhancement of personal growth and the development of valuable leadership skills. For more information, visit greenvillejaycees.com.

Adults, 21 years and older, are invited to The State Theatre beginning at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14, to dress in their favorite decade outfits (or whatever they would like to wear) and dance the night away to music through the decades performed by the Eli Craig Band. The afterparty event will feature a drag show with Michelle Michaels and Her Divas.

“The funds raised at this spectacular event will go directly to the development of our life skills program for local teens in foster care and those aging out,” The Kelly Children’s Home Founder and CEO Alexis Kelly said.  “The program will help ensure the youth will have skills they need to be successful adults in their lives after foster care.”

The founders of The Kelly Children’s Home adopted a child from foster care in 2016, and during that time learned of the significant need for foster parents in North Carolina. They spent the next few years developing a business plan and searching for the right property to develop the first children’s group home in Beaufort County. In 2020, the non-profit took off and they have now purchased a property in Washington, NC that will provide residential group housing to foster children ages 15-21, and their siblings. Teens are the most challenging population to place in traditional foster care settings. Teens are at risk for never learning the necessary life skills, experiencing emotional healing, or growing the self-confidence to become successful young adults. The Kelly Children’s Home will provide residential care to teens and those aging out of foster care, as well as the necessary services to prepare them for the next chapter in life. For more information, visit www.thekellychildrenshome.org.

Kelly also invites anyone who wants to become a foster parent to contact their local department of social services office.

“We invite our community to come out and have fun, relive their glory days, and give to an amazing program that helps older foster children have a safe place to stay, learn life skills and feel loved and empowered to pursue their dreams,” said Greenville Jaycee President and Prom Committee Co-Chair Jessica Jenkins.

“This event is a celebration of this community and a commitment to creating a better future for our children.”