Seniors experience personal Quinceañera celebration for first time

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Friday, 15 senior women from the United Community Center celebrated their Quinceañera, a moment they never were able to experience when they were younger.

The women are part of a sewing group at the UCC. The dresses they wore were personally customized using their skills. Family and friends joined them in the celebration at the United Community Center Seinor Center.

"It means a dream come true," said Socorro Robles, a 74-year-old Quinceañera.

A Quinceañera is a celebration in Latin America where a girl becomes a lady at 15 years old. The celebration carries lots of tradition that calls for big gowns, crowns and a lot of fun.

"It feels really good, I've never had those feelings before, so it's just exciting," said Guadalupe Schneider, a Quinceañera.

The idea was sparked after the women in the sewing group discovered they all had something in common -- none of them ever had a Quinceañera. Soon after, the UCC began the planning for the celebration.

"Our seniors brought it up to us that, you know, they didn't have the opportunity to celebrate their Quinceañera growing up, so they brought the idea to us, and we said let's go with it," said Ana Castaneda, lead program manager at United Community Center.

The party took eight months in the making. The Quinceañeras were escorted by family and District 2 police.