Broadneck Parents Make Prom Breakfast Possible

This was not a typical Friday-night party. A group of parents gathered with hot-glue guns to make hedges out of boxes.

The activity embodied the spirit of the Broadneck High School prom breakfast committee and its approximate 25 members. Hands on. Doing whatever it takes to make the event a success.

Liliane Corwin and Marisa Sherman are the co-chairs of this year’s prom breakfast. Both have daughters who are seniors at Broadneck. Corwin’s husband is in the U.S. Marine Corps, so her family has moved from California to Illinois to Maryland. When her daughter found a friend, Sherman’s daughter, the moms also became friends.

Corwin knew Sherman was an active parent, often volunteering her time to help the music booster clubs and marching bands at her daughters’ schools. When Corwin recruited Sherman to make this year’s prom breakfast possible, Sherman may have taken the event name literally.

“I was not sure what I signed up for,” Sherman said with a laugh. “I’m not a night owl.”

The annual prom breakfast gives kids a safe and fun environment to enjoy after prom. Planning is not all fun, though.

“It’s a PTSO event, but there’s no budget for it and we were told it cost about $10,000, which is a big number,” Sherman said.

The parents quickly got to work with fundraising, partnering with Senor Chile, Broadneck Grill & Cantina, and O’Loughlin’s for restaurant nights and then organizing yard sales.

“I asked everyone, ‘Do you have anything you would donate?’” Corwin said. “My garage is full. We got so many donations.”

The generosity was bountiful. Drama Decor donated $1,200 in excess inventory from its holiday craft bazaar. Data Center Solutions made a generous donation. KinderCare Learning Centers gave away mini fridges and popcorn machines.

Paired with entertainment from DJ Rockin’ Ed, breakfast food and door prizes for seniors, those giveaways are sure to make the event special.

“There’s such a sense of tradition with this event,” Sherman said. “When we were at the Christmas bazaar, people were remembering their prom breakfasts from 20 years ago.”

This year’s volunteers have done their best to make the event memorable. That process started with a series of pitches.

“Parents went all out with the theme,” Sherman said. “Parents came with PowerPoint presentations and posters.”

Corwin and Sherman cannot share the theme, because that would ruin the surprise for students, but they said the Broadneck cafeteria and entranceway will be transformed.

“The decorations will transform the school into a whimsical space,” Corwin said.

Volunteers are also making items reusable to make prom breakfast easier for the next committee.

The parents believe the class of 2024 will appreciate their hard work. After all, this is the class that has won the schoolwide wall-decorating challenge three times.

Last year’s prom breakfast committee sold 500 tickets and 250 students attended. Corwin and Sherman hope for a similar turnout this spring.

The class of 2024 started their high school experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sherman and Corwin agreed that their girls are finishing on a positive note compared to where they started, and the moms hope their kids carry that momentum forward.

“We want them to know they are loved more than they can imagine and that the whole community supports them,” Sherman said.

Each time they are hand-painting items, hanging tapestries or paper-macheting, the parent volunteers remember that the cause is well worth the effort to give their kids a proper celebration before graduation, and for some kids, college.

“They’re off to an amazing journey and we did that (prom breakfast) for them,” Corwin said. “They’re special, with their quirks and their uniqueness, and they should take on the world and be as awesome as they are.”