By Sue Denny • Posted April 21, 2026

Douglas Petersen has attended the prom at Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia since 2019. While he enjoys the merriment, he loves the planning and preparations even more.

Despite the DJ and dancing, dinner and decorations, the prom on Saturday, April 11 was not the typical annual rite of passage.

This prom for young people with special needs was hosted by the Archbishop Ryan chapter of Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA). The Bucks County nonprofit aims to improve the lives of people with special needs through athletics and other fun and free activities, including the annual prom, which it has hosted for the past six years.

“I just love it so much,” said Petersen, 38, who has Down syndrome. “I love dancing. I’m a good dancer.”

The gymnasium floor was filled with dancers all evening, said Mary Beth Sullivan, an Archbishop Ryan chemistry teacher and chapter moderator. “They don’t want it to end.   They are so happy that they get to have a prom.”

More than 300 people attended the two-hour event, including 90 student volunteers, 90 children and adults with special needs, and 150 family members.

“Oh my gosh. It was amazing. It was the best turnout yet,” said Sullivan, who has helped to plan and organize the occasion for three years.

Sullivan, 48, is Petersen’s older sister, and the prom has become an annual family tradition. His other sister, Colleen Mazzoni, helped with decorations and his parents, Mary and Wayne Petersen of the Morrell Park neighborhood, served food. They all helped with setup and cleanup.

This year Sullivan’s husband, Kevin, a carpenter, constructed large wooden lighted letters spelling out “PROM” — the decoration is a popular prom staple. The couple’s high school- and college-age children volunteer, too.

“We all love it,” Sullivan said. “We are so glad to give back.”

Suggested prom attire is formal: the girls donned fancy dresses while many boys wore a suit, or a jacket with a shirt and tie.

“If somebody wants to come in a sweat outfit, that’s fine,” Sullivan said. “We want everyone to feel comfortable and included and have a great night.”

The dinner menu was pizza, chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, French fries, and salad. The theme was Mardi Gras, and the event featured typical prom trappings donated by local sponsors and merchants: limousine rides in the school parking lot, corsages and boutonnieres, professional photographs and a photo booth.

“Besides being a magical night for our prom goers and their families, this is a chance for our community to pitch in,” said AHA president Shannon Brennan, special education teacher and coach at Tacony Academy Charter School in Northeast Philadelphia.

“Mary Beth Sullivan and her family and the club at Ryan have taken the prom to another level,” she said. “We are shocked that they’re able to top themselves each year.”

AHA was founded in 2002 as part of the Football Boosters at what is now Council Rock North High School in Newtown; the group’s early purpose was to support Special Olympics. Its mission and reach have expanded over the past two decades with chapters at about 25 high schools, many in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and 10 local college campuses.

An AHA volunteer since 2010 and president since 2022, Brennan is particularly proud of the group’s fundraising efforts to support local special-needs organizations. “This year we’re set to donate close to $40,000, along with hosting 30 free community events.”

Petersen has been a big part of AHA for years. Brennan said he has often pulled her aside at events to offer suggestions; it was his idea to have a Mardi Gras theme. She asked him to join the volunteer staff two years ago.

“He was providing more ideas than many of us,” she said. “Inviting Doug to our staff just made sense and also really spoke to our mission of inclusion.”

Already, Petersen has a few ideas for next year’s prom, sure to thrill the young people and their loved ones.