More than 150 local senior adults attended the Second Annual Senior Prom in The Cove in Collegedale, presented by Morning Pointe Senior Living and Garden Plaza of Greenbriar Cove, on Thursday, June 13.
After walking down a red carpet and having a photo opportunity, guests enjoyed an evening of fellowship, dancing and live music by the Barkey Bryant Band. Hors d’oeuvres were provided by chefs at local Morning Pointe Senior Living and Garden Plaza communities, and Infinity Dance Connection, a children’s dancing group, also danced for the guests. Several seniors got up to dance to the “Tennessee Waltz,” and Elvis’s classic “Love Me Tender.”
One tender dancing moment involved Mike Thomas, a resident at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Collegedale. He was unable to attend his granddaughter Sarah Freed’s wedding in Maryland, and she and her new husband came into town to visit and used the prom as the occasion for a special dance.
“It meant a lot to dance with him,” Freed shared. “It was so good to see him and that he’s having so much fun. It’s so hard to be away from him, but I feel better knowing he is loved where he is. My mom is always telling me about something he’s doing.”
Thomas said, “The whole thing was just wonderful and the best thing that could have happened. I enjoyed every minute of it. She is so precious to me.”
Thomas was also able to meet his new grandson-in-law for the first time and shed a tear of happiness.
Guests also were able to win a variety of gift baskets provided by sponsors. Other included AccentCare, Blluum, Medicare Misty, The Bridge at Ooltewah, Lookout Limousine, Adoration Hospice, Life Care Centers of America and Hearth Hospice.
Morning Pointe Senior Living, founded in 1997 by Tennessee healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and Franklin Farrow, currently operates 38 communities in five southeastern states. Area Morning Pointe campuses are located in Chattanooga, Collegedale, Hixson and Walker County, Georgia.
