‘Makes me feel at home’: Ga. teens in state custody get own prom
CEDARTOWN, Ga. - In the gym at Murphy-Harpst Children’s Center, decorations for prom are going up. While it is something that is probably happening in gyms across Georgia, the men are picking their suits and girls are getting ready to put on their dresses. This is probably happening for teenagers all over.
“The here makes me feel at home but there are times when I have wanted that from my own family and they weren’t there and it kind of put me in a dark place,” said 18-year-old Jayden Morgan.
But what is happening at Murphy-Harpst is not happening all over the state and has everything to do with the kids.
The teenagers are in state custody. Teens and children have pasts of trauma or neglect at no fault of their own. Some need direction. So they are brought to Murphy-Harpst. The teens are just like any other teens, and in this case, they want a prom.
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Thanks to staff and volunteers, they are getting one. It has been the case for more than 20 years.
“Getting to just go to a school dance or things like that are things that we take for granted growing up,” said Jackson Mulkey, who is with the Wesley Foundation at the University of Georgia.
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“It is special for our high schoolers because not only is it a normal high school experience, but it makes them feel like they are important. Here is the thing about our kids, they don’t get to get dressed up, they don’t get their hair and their makeup and their nails done all the time. So to feel special, to feel important, to feel like somebody is doing this for them,” said Jessica Morgan, with Murphy-Harpst Children’s Center.
There is space because of donations for teens to express themselves with their clothes.
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“It is not often that we dress up for the events, and if you look around, there is a lot of hard work being put into this. It is just an opportunity to have fun,” said Morgan.
This will be one of those moments they have alongside many other teenagers — a normal thing. A happy thing. A prom.
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