Family Gives $700 So Students Can Attend Prom

Four Wayne Hills High School seniors will go to the prom Friday thanks to a family’s generosity.

A parent of a senior contacted Michael Shale Jr., faculty adviser for the prom at Hills, a few weeks ago. The mother asked him if anyone wasn’t able to go to the prom because they couldn’t afford the $75 ticket.

Shale told her that there were four students who wanted to go to the prom but couldn’t afford it.

A check for $300 was waiting at the school the next day.

“It was certainly a really pleasant surprise,” Shale said. “It was really great to be able to reach out to those kids and see the looks on their faces when they found out they could go to the prom.”

The woman e-mailed Shale two days later with more good news. She realized that prom goers must also pay for tuxedos, dresses, haircuts, and corsages, among other things. After talking it over with her husband, she gave four, $100 gift cards so students could pay for those ancillary.

“It was an amazing pleasure to quietly approach four students and let them know that an anonymous donor was giving this to them, no questions asked,” Shale said. “The looks on the students’ faces were truly incredible.”

The prom will be held at The Crystal Palace in Livingston.

“For a family to go give $700 and not want credit or their names given is remarkable,” Shale said. “The only thing they asked of us was that the money go to deserving kids.”

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.