Spring Fling Prom 2014! Truly "A Night to Remember"

More than 125 clients came together on Friday, May 2, 2014 for Special Tree's Spring Fling dinner dance at Roma's of Garden City. Now in it's 14th year, the annual event draws Special Tree clients, staff, friends and alumni from all over Southeast and Mid-Michigan for a festive night filled with food, music, dancing, socializing and more. The many hours of planning and coordination by staff paid off once again with a fantastic event that seems to top itself year after year. 

This spring's theme Prom: A Night to Remember, inspired by a residential client who had missed her own high school prom, added a fun new twist to the evening. When staff heard about Marlene G.'s desire to attend prom, having missed hers after experiencing a traumatic brain injury several years ago at sixteen, they began brainstorming ways they could give her a second chance at the quintessential teen rite of passage. They presented the idea to the Spring Fling committee, and the "Prom 2014" theme was born. 

In addition to the usual banquet dinner, live band, and fabulous dance party, clients decked out in tuxes, ball gowns, top hats, and other finery. When Marlene was crowned Special Tree Prom Queen, there was no bigger smile in the room than hers.

“Everyone said it was the best Spring Fling we’ve ever had,” reflected RiverView Program Manager and Spring Fling Chair Debbie Justice. “We’ve done some wonderful themes in the past, but nothing nearly as big as this. The whole prom thing got everyone geeked. I was really happy with how it turned out.” Even the party preparations took on a new life, with most of the clothing and jewelry collected through a series of donations, and clients meeting up for 'Diva Night' and tuxedo shop outings to get ready.

Clients arrived at Roma's in cars, vans and even a wheelchair accessible limousine. Looking their sharpest in suits, dresses, gowns and tuxedos, they entered the hall to find a flurry of decorations, and a corsage or boutineer for every attendee—made by clients in the InPro vocational program. 

There were even party favors, and a sparkly balloon backdrop to pose for the traditional Prom Photo. After a delicious sit down dinner, live band Remedy took off with popular covers and clients flocked to the dance floor. Later in the evening, a conga line formed to the tune “Soul Train.”

“That [conga line] will be done at every event now. I really think that’s going to be a new tradition with how much the clients took to it,” said Justice. “It’s funny, but we have this new staffer who at some point in the night ran up to me and gave me this huge hug. She said ‘I can’t believe I get paid to do this!’ It was just such a great night. It turned out really great.”

Pulling off an event of this magnitude requires tremendous coordination by many people, organizing everything from transportation, scheduling, dietary needs, client supports, decorations, and more. But the effort is so worthwhile. Infusing the recovery process every so often with events like Spring Fling provide an important break from the rehabilitation routine, and greatly enhance clients' quality of life.


"It's one of my favorite events all year," shared CEO Joe Richert. "Seeing everyone coming together and enjoying themselves, you really see the value in doing something like this. Until you've witnessed what happens on that dance floor, you just can't imagine what a tremendous morale boost this is—for clients and staff alike."

Justice specifically acknowledged the incredible work of the Spring Fling committee, many of whom were new to the team this year. “It takes a lot of people to put the Spring Fling together," she said. "But it was so fun and totally worth it.”

My Story

By Stephen McConnaughey, Outpatient Client

Hi my name is Stephen McConnaughey I am an outpatient at Special Tree. My accident that caused my t.b.i. and other physical injuries happened September 8, 2008 and I was in Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak until October 31, of the same year when I was transferred to the Trevino Special Tree group home. I resided there for two months until I returned home to my home in Royal Oak. I have had a remarkable recovery compared to where I was when I first came to Special Tree. With the help of the great staff and programs I’ve went from being in a wheelchair and very self defeated to being able to walk again almost fully normal and finishing up and graduating an associate’s degree program in paralegal that I was involved in before my accident. I owe a lot to all my therapists who guided me through all my many obstacles. I am now in the process of looking for employment and getting back a drivers license so I can have a fulfilling life. After a shattered pelvis, t.b.i., and other issues I thought this might not happen. But I always kept tenacity and a positive view towards this which at times wasn’t that easy. I just wish everyone going through these trying things could come as far as I have, and wish them the very best in their journey to overcome these life changing events. I also participate in a lot of the activities I did prior to my accident I write and play and record music and play several musical instruments and I find it very enjoyable to garden and commune with nature as the photograph of me reveals. Wishing you all well!

TBI in the Media

By Jessica Bahny
Activities Team
NeuroCare Center

Lately I am noticing TBI is showing up a lot more often in the mainstream media. This is great for brain injury awareness.

The Free Press recently interviewed Rick Schroeder, the actor, and it was brought up that his teenage son experienced a TBI following a dirt bike incident. They talked some about the situation, and he acknowledged that TBI recovery can be a lengthy process, requiring patience and work on the parts of all family members. I thought this was cool. Maybe it can help family members understand that they’re not alone.

Also, the Lifetime show “Army Wives” has been dealing with TBI quite a bit in this last season. So much so in fact, that one of the main characters is being portrayed as suffering a “silent” TBI when her vehicle was near a blast. She experienced headaches, personality change, forgetfulness, and other issues after coming home. The TBI was not caught at the overseas hospital. It was due to a reverberation in the vehicle, which jiggled her brain.

The show is handling the issue wonderfully. The character has integrity, dignity and pride. It has followed her through the various steps that she has to take to “relearn” some simple tasks, in order to become ready for deployment again. It’s also dealing with the dynamics of family, exploring her husband’s experience with the changes, as well as the challenges of raising a toddler when one parent has TBI.

As someone working with individuals recovering from TBI, I’m usually wary of the way they’re portrayed in the media. Older movies such as “Regarding Henry” made me frustrated; some of the rehab scenes were so unrealistic. I'm glad that TBI is becoming such a hot topic and is finally coming close to receiving the attention it deserves, in a respectful manner.