COMING OFF THE SIDELINES

This event is truly designed to bring foster girls and families together.

Event one. 

I had this idea years ago. Years ago I was told $200 was too much to ask to sponsor a girl to go to prom. I used to work at a severely underprivileged school. I watched foster kids. I watched the bonds between them. I held a prom dress drive there, knowing prom dresses are just expensive, and make girls feel beautiful.

Hit the fast forward button, I am now able to take care of the expense part, and focus on providing an outlet for the teen girls to feel beautiful. This time around, I was not going to ask for anyone to sponsor. I was just going to pitch the idea to the Rockies, and see what feedback I received.

Now normally you have a charity idea meeting with all wives and girlfriends on the team to see what ideas to do during the season. I knew I needed to act fast since prom season was upon us. When it was time during the meeting to throw around different charities to be involved with, being the new girl on the team, I just went for it.

I have an idea to turn a suite into a dress store, and have foster girls come and shop for a dress and enjoy a baseball game.

I explained we, the wives, would be their personal shoppers for the night. And all I would need is a suite, and tickets to the game. I would provide the rest. They loved the idea but, the next questions to arise, “Do you have girls to help? Do you have a dress store? Do you have funding? Do you have all details worked out? And what day are you thinking? 

Yes! I can get that all together. I DID NOT HAVE ONE THING LINED UP. NOT ONE. NOT AN ORGANIZATION. NOT A DRESS STORE. LITERALLY. NOTHING. 

I read the room, my wives were on board, I legit just threw a date out there, April 8th.

That was eight days away. Eight days.

I prayed this event would just roll. I called my first dress store, and they completely shot me down. They didn’t know how sizes and anything would work.

I prayed to Jesus, if you want this event to happen, you know I only have eight days, I need direction here.

I called a local foster agency, and asked if they had teen girls that would like to come to the game and shop for a prom dress. I locked in 30 girls. My favorite call, I left a voicemail for Jesse, a prom store sales director, I pitched the idea. She called me back, and said she was all in, and she was connected to the foster care system and loved the idea. Then I knew this was the it.

We had thirty girls show up, seventy five suite tickets, BEAUTIFUL dresses.

The dresses were beautiful, the girls made the night stunning. There was one point in the night, I knew this was it, this is what I want to try and pursue, and it felt like a smack in the face.

At one point during the night, the dressing rooms, were overflowing. The wives decided to take dresses and girls over to the suite level restroom and take it over. I went to check on everyone, walking into the bathroom, I hope I can write the image justice.

Laura, a baseball wife, was holding up two huge dresses, someone is changing behind her, she says, “Okay! I got it on.” 

The big dresses moved apart, there stood a teenager dressed in a beautiful gown, and Laura gawking over how beautiful she looked.

She had not seen herself in a mirror yet, but just by Laura’s words alone, she believed it. She believed she looked beautiful, she believed she was worth it. Then I turned the corner to find three bathroom stalls full of girls trying on gowns.

Each one of them coming out of a public restroom stall believing it. Even for a moment they are beautiful.

Which then I felt a push, Jesus sees us this way all the time. Most of the time we are walking out of a place filled with trials and hardships, we can’t see the mirror in front of us, and with or without a prom dress on, He thinks we are beautiful. He thinks we are worth it.

If I can spread that, that feeling of worth and beauty, this is the game I want to play. To take my platform, and other MLB wives’ platforms, and grow the Prom Series to as many stadiums as I can, and as many additional events throughout the year as I can. Because the truth of it is, as much as the girls need a prom dress, or a new back to school outfit, and to feel beautiful and special; the wives need an outlet to spread their love too.