A Down Syndrome matric girl’s dream came true when she had a fairytale matric ball last Friday.
Jade Paulse, 18, from Rondevlei looked stunning in her baby blue dress and tiara.
The teen matriculates from Glenbridge Special School this year.
The Diep River-based school caters for learners from ages six to 18, with intellectual impairment as a primary challenge.
These impairments include Down Syndrome, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, as well as intellectual impairment as a result of acquired conditions.
Jade’s mom was unable to afford her send-off when she got the invitation two weeks ago.
Enter fairy godmother, Aasiya Adams, who stepped in and worked her magic.
Aasiya posted an appeal for mense to donate on 13 November.
She says: “I asked friends to help on Facebook and people came out to assist in minutes, offering their services free along with others donating food, cake and decorations.”
Jade was uitgevat on Friday, donning her tailored dress and matching mask.
The bubbly teen was sponsored from head to toe and was whisked off in a blue Ford Mustang to the ball venue in Wynberg.
Aasiya says: “I worked at the company where the mom works at the canteen and in the afternoon Jade would be dropped off and wait for her mom.
“At work, she would entertain us with her dance moves, she’s so lovable like her mom.
“One day her mom said to me, ‘you must arrange Jade’s matric ball’, and I accepted.
“I posted on my Facebook and in under an hour everyone pitched in and said this is what they were offering.
“We had 10 platters of food, two cakes, colour-schemed popcorn, candy floss and toffee apples for the decor, backdrop and cake stands donated, shoes, a hairstylist, eyebrow and chin threading, car, money, make-up artist, more cake, Abaguquli NPO did the drone footage. My heart is full.”
Jade dreams of doing a career in dancing or drama and wants to study the arts after she completes her secondary schooling.
Mom Arlene Paulse says she isn’t financially by the means to send the teen to an arts school.
“She would like to dance or act, but I’m not financially able to send her to things like that,” she says.
“I work in a canteen, I don’t even know how much these things will cost.”