Chandler Powell Was Really Cute When He Invited Bindi Irwin For a Prom Night
Bindi Irwin had one wish fulfilled when her boyfriend Chandler Powell asked her to a prom night last year. "He was really kind," Irwin tells PEOPLE. He said, 'You don't really get a prom, so would you please come with me to mine?' "
Hence, he found a good way to ask the ex-Dancing with the Stars contestant, who was just continuing the conservation and wildlife advocacy work begun by her late father, The Crocodile Hunter's Steve Irwin.
"Chandler has a really beautiful dog named Percy and Percy is one of my best friends now. So he tied a note to Percy's collar and Percy came bounding out," says Irwin. "It was very sweet. I feel very blessed."
The 17-year-old Bindi Irwin is in Australia while the 19-year-old Powell is a professional wakeboarder who is a college attendant in Florida. They work together on their long-distance relationship. Currently, Irwin is visiting the U.S. for her first-ever Steve Irwin Gala Dinner to be held in Los Angeles.
"It's nice to have him just a little bit closer and in the same time zone," Irwin says. "And I'm so happy to take him to the gala."
The gala will be held on Saturday night at the J.W. Marriott in downtown L.A. For the night, Irwin, her mother Terri and 12-year-old brother Robert have put in eight years of hard work.
"We're so excited about honoring Steve's legacy and all the conservation work that he began and that we've continued," says Terri, who adds that items like a guitar signed by Taylor Swift and a dress worn by Bindi on DWTS will be auctioned at the event. "It's so special to get to do this in the States, finally. I'm from here and I know how philanthropic everyone can be. Through events like this gala dinner, we can make positive change."
