On Saturday, October 11, 2025, families and friends gathered at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren, Ohio, for the 2nd Annual Dance Silly for Prader-Willi, a festive Halloween-themed fundraiser hosted by Michele Hampton and her family.
For Michele, whose three-year-old daughter Jayda is living with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), Dance Silly for Prader-Willi is more than a party. It’s a way to connect, raise awareness, and celebrate community.
“This is our 2nd year of Dance Silly for Prader-Willi and we are coming back together to raise funds for PWSA | USA." Michele shared. "We are doing this again because it was such a fun event last year, and it brought a lot of awareness to PWS. Our friends and family had such a good time. We are coming together during the Halloween season to show that Halloween and parties don’t have to be all about candy and food – it can be about the time with friends and family.”
This event, which was put together as a PWSA | USA Hope United peer-to-peer fundraiser, is a full-scale Halloween celebration with a DJ, family dinner, raffle baskets, games, and special prizes for kids. Costumes, laughter, and music filled the room as attendees danced in support of individuals with PWS.
This year, Dance Silly welcomed not only friends and relatives but also other families in the region with children and adults living with PWS.
“It’s really overwhelming, the amount of support, donations, and time – it’s a gift,”, Michele said. “It really shows you how much people care about you, your child, and your family. We have other families too with children with PWS here that we hadn’t yet met and adults with PWS who came this year. We’re really excited to meet new people and bring the community together through this event.”
For Michele, this cause is deeply personal. When Jayda was first diagnosed, Michele and her family found comfort and guidance through PWSA | USA’s family support programs.
“When we were in our early days of Jayda’s diagnosis, PWSA was so supportive. We had a family mentor who reached out to me. She was really wonderful and helped me realize everything was going to be okay,” she reflected. “This event is really all about Jayda. She loves to dance, and we’re just so happy to highlight how well she’s doing and just come together and enjoy our day.”
Michele hopes their event inspires other families to take part in their own way — whether that’s hosting a fundraiser, volunteering, or connecting with others in their area.
“If you have a child with PWS and you want to do an event, I would encourage you to do it,” she said. “Raising awareness in the community is something that was really important to me, and being able to have this event and have people know what Prader-Willi is, and being able to meet other families around the area – even if it’s 2 hours away who you didn’t know before – coming together and just connecting is so important. PWSA is so helpful. They’re going to help you along the way, and I encourage you to do it if it’s in your heart. It’s all worth it.”
Dance Silly for Prader-Willi is a beautiful reminder that awareness can be built in joyful, creative ways. Through every song, smile, and shared moment, Michele and her community are strengthening hope and support for all families impacted by PWS, especially in Northeast Ohio.
Interested in hosting your own peer-to-peer fundraiser? Learn more about PWSA | USA’s Hope United program at the button below.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.