From afros and bell bottoms to The Bee Gees and K.C. and the Sunshine Band, disco was the theme for the fourth annual Senior Citizen Senior Prom hosted by Community Home Care & Hospice and the Hamlet Senior Center on March 31 at the Cole Auditorium.

This year’s event played host to approximately 175 local senior citizens from within the community and local nursing facilities. Organizers say the free event was started four years ago to “give this all-too-often forgotten group an excuse to get dressed up, go out, and ‘Shake Your Groove Thang’ for an evening!”

“Small town life helped to make this event such as huge success as the outpour of community support was tremendous as donations were welcomed from all over,” Tonya Butts, hospice care consultant, said in a statement.

Members with the youth group of Rockingham Church of God of Prophecy helped serve barbecue prepared by Wes Ruble of Smoking South BBQ, along with sides and drinks donated by all three Food Lion locations, Flowers Bread Company and Edwards IGA. Bright colored daisies donated by Boe’s Florist were paired with disco ball centerpieces to accompany the hippie motif. Mi Casita of Rockingham donated $20 Walmart gift cards to the three sets of Prom King and Queen. During the festivities, seniors spent the evening dancing with music provided by the DJ — Bobby Odom of McColl, South Carolina — or capturing the memories with MaLarry Hyatt of MLH Photography.

Community Home Care & Hospice serves Richmond, Anson, Scotland, and Moore counties with in home hospice services.

“Our Senior Citizen Senior Prom is our most successful community event and one way for us to give back to the community that allows us to serve them,” Butts said. “Local seniors look forward to this event all year, and we have grown to become just as excited to enjoy them having such a wonderful time.

“The event has been so well received that it has grown from the 40 in attendance the first year, to the staggering amount of participation this year,” she added. “We look forward to the many years to come of providing a night of fun and dancing for our local seniors.”

Courtesy photo A group from the Ellerbe Senior Center poses in front of balloons at the fourth annual Senior Citizen Senior Prom hosted by Community Home Care & Hospice and the Hamlet Senior Center on March 31 at the Cole Auditorium.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_seniorprom_ellerbe.jpgCourtesy photo A group from the Ellerbe Senior Center poses in front of balloons at the fourth annual Senior Citizen Senior Prom hosted by Community Home Care & Hospice and the Hamlet Senior Center on March 31 at the Cole Auditorium.

For the Daily Journal