Because We All Wanna Boogie Down

Austinist's mission is to provide you, our lovely readers, with a little bit of [egregiously biased] news and [often fabricated] local information, wide-ranging commentary on various "Austin-things" that affect many of us, and, perhaps most importantly, as many outlets as we can manage whereby you might find entertainment in this city. Be it movies, music, theatre, art, books, or the occasional romp through the Hill Country, it all ties into the same idea: we all deserve a bit of fun every so often.

Which is why it kinda broke our hearts when we came across this article in the Statesman this week, describing the plight of the kids over at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, who are trying their damnedest to raise a bit of money to throw a modest prom. Prom! The "magnet" school draws children from all across Texas, and as such, they lack both a PTA organization and any sort of parent network. So, instead of having Mom and Pop helping out, they've resorted to taking matters into their own hands:

Across the country, people celebrated Valentine's Day with candy, flowers, sappy love notes and gushy greeting cards. But at the school for the blind, where students raised money by delivering 475 carnations to classmates, staffers and teachers, Tuesday was about more than romance and fun.

It was about taking another step toward the perfect prom.

Raising money for the prom is nothing new for teens. But at this school — where students from across Texas come to learn life, career and scholastic skills — finding funds for that standard rite of passage is difficult. There's no PTA or parent network to count on. Friends and neighbors don't help out, as most students are hundreds of miles away from home.

Lest you assume that it's a princely sum they hope to reap, think again -- they're looking for just a few thousand bucks ($5,000, to be exact), to make the event slightly better than the ones of late:

Until recently, students held an informal affair at a community center. The big bash — which wasn't so big — lasted two hours. Students ate cookies and drank punch. Prom attire consisted of button-down shirts, jeans and tennis shoes.

Last year, students amped up their prom celebration. They rented a room at a Red Lion Hotel and ate fancy finger foods.

If you'd like to help these kids out, you can direct your gracious goodwill to:

ATTN: Prom Committee
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St.
Austin, TX 78756
512-206-9104

* Image from Saved By The Bell's totally rad prom