Mom raises money for students’ high school prom

By Jenna Wells

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    MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — It’s prom season, but at Hamilton high school, there has been a rush to raise funds in a short amount of time to make the night memorable.

After some uncertainty because of the pandemic, Milwaukee Public Schools approved a prom for Hamilton High School in February, much later than normal, as the district kept an eye on COVID.

Every year, the senior class raises money for prom, but this year it has become a massive time-crunch.

“You think they fundraise all year for this stuff, but because of COVID you really couldn’t do a lot of fundraising,” said Sabrina Sedlar, a mom of a senior at Hamilton.

When she learned funding was an issue this year, Sabrina Sedlar set up a GoFundMe for the school’s prom.

Her daughter, Lily, shares her mom’s dedication. She joined Hamilton’s prom committee this year.

“I really care about mental health, and I saw that a lot of students were sad that we weren’t doing anything. We were just going to class and going home afterwards. Even some clubs got cancelled. They were like ‘we want to do something with our class before we leave,’ so I just wanted to make that happen,” Lily said.

Her friend and fellow committee member, Alyana Fells-Martin, echoes that sadness. She’s hoping to end the year on a good note.

“We didn’t even get to do a homecoming so it’s like, I really just want a prom,” Alyana said.

Sabrina Sedlar started the GoFundMe in February, raising money for the venue costs, decorations, attire and food. Meanwhile, the prom committee had a candy sale.

While many high schools rely on high-priced ticket sales to fund their prom, Hamilton serves mostly lower-income communities, so they only charge $25 per prom ticket to make sure everyone can attend.

“Prom is big business. It’s expensive,” Sedlar said.

Her goal is to help her daughter’s high school make the night memorable, after a disappointing couple of years.

“When you were in high school, what were the things that you remember? Do you remember all the classes you took, all the teachers? No, you remember the things that you did with your friends. Homecoming, high school football games, prom, a lot of those things these kids missed because they were home for two years,” Sedlar said.

With the funds rising higher and the calendar moving quickly, the Hamilton seniors are getting pumped up.

“I’m excited for being able to say I had a prom. I was able to run on prom court. I was able to do all of this at the end of my year,” Alyana said.

Sabrina’s GoFundMe has already raised over $1300 for Hamilton’s senior prom. They are also getting help from the I Owe The Youth Foundation for dresses and suits.

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