Dawn Pintsak wanted to honor her late mother, Laura Gannon, so she has organized the “Ultimate 90s Mom Prom” to be held Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Maywood Sportsmen’s Club in Elmhurst, close to her late mom’s Oct. 6 birthday.
Gannon passed away from lymphoma three years ago in August, “literally one year and one day” after her diagnosis, Pintsak shared, adding that the family originally planned to support blood cancer research by attending a West Suburban Light The Night fundraiser with her mother in October.
“We were going to be walking with my mom as a survivor,” she recalled.
“My mom continued trying new treatments and clinical trials until just days before we lost her,” Pintsak narrated, “which is why supporting continued blood cancer research has become so important to our family.”
“She was the epitome of a mom and grandma,” Pintsak said of Gannon, a mother of seven and grandmother of 13.
Wanting to do something more in addition to walking for blood cancer research, Pintsak, a Naperville resident, had given blood and had also considered hosting a blood drive.
She then learned about Mom Prom through an article in an AARP magazine. Betsy Crapps started Mom Prom in Canton, Mich., as a “ladies’ night out for charity,” Pintsak described.
Pintsak got the idea from that article to organize her own Mom Prom. Each event chooses its own charity and she chose Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (bloodcancerunited.org).
Mom Prom origins
Crapps explained in a Facebook video that the idea for a Mom Prom came after her mother brought over her prom dresses, and Crapps thought, “What am I going to do with these prom dresses?”
After wearing one to a friend’s Oscars party, Crapps remembers thinking, “We should have a Mom Prom,” so she and her friends took photos, and went out for dinner and dancing.
“And that’s when I thought, this is really something bigger,” she continued, so she organized an event with a DJ and charged $10 per person. Eighty women showed up, with the event proceeds going to her local family shelter.
In 2011 her Mom Prom idea went viral after an Associated Press story, and “That is when the proms across the country began,” Crapps said. “This is the ultimate girls’ night out.”
“It really is a blessing in my life to meet these ladies who are doing so much to help other people. Millions of dollars have been raised for charity,” Crapps added.
Bringing a Mom Prom to the suburbs
“I wanted to create something joyful in honor of my mom while also doing something that could make a difference for another family,” Pintsak said. “My mom fought until the very end. Even just days before we lost her, she was still trying new clinical trials. She never stopped hoping that the next treatment might be the one that worked.”
“I reached out to her [Crapps] to find out some more information,” Pintsak said, adding, “She was great … [she said] ‘Whatever you need from me, just reach out.’”
“I brought it up to my sisters,” she continued, and the idea for the Mom Prom began to take shape.
Pintsak needed a venue, of course, and her brother-in-law, affiliated with the Maywood Sportsmen’s Club, was able to secure it for the event.
“I just started talking to people online,” she said, and Mom Prom began to build momentum, so the inaugural Mom Prom is now coming to fruition.
“The bonus is that it’s going to benefit blood cancer research,” Pintsak emphasized. “Every new treatment and every clinical trial has the potential to give someone more time with the people they love. Maybe someday another family won’t have to lose a mom, a sister or a best friend to lymphoma. That is why continuing to support and fund this research is so important to our family.”
The Ultimate 90s Mom Prom will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, from 7-10 p.m., and is not just for moms but all women ages 21 and over, with a DJ and dancing—BYOB (bring your own bottle, beer, booze, beverage).
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on Venmo through @Dawn-Pintsak, or email her at dpintsak@gmail.com for more information. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
The Maywood Sportsmen’s Club is located at 700 County Line Road, Elmhurst.
Pintsak said she is also planning to participate in the 2026 West Suburban Light The Night on Saturday, Oct. 17, which will be held at 5 p.m. at Spring Rock Park, 4400 Central Ave., Western Springs (https://registration.lightthenight.org/event-selected/190068).
