Post Proms, long drives and why they are worth it!

I just got back from doing a 3AM post prom in the wilds of Iowa.

If you don't know what a post prom is - check my blogs on this either here or ovr my my myspace page (www.myspace.leedarrow and follow the link to my blogs - it's there, trust me!).

This one was in a mall, which is a pretty unusual location for an event of this kind as many merchants get a little paranoid about damage happening to their shops while the mall is closed and things like that. Well, I can say that this event, complete with bungee runs, a blow-up crawl-through maze, karaoke, turkey bowling (using a frozen turkey as the ball!), a Guitar Hero (tm) playoff against a regional champion and the usual poker blackjack, food and music, was one of the most well-run events of its kind I have been to in a long time!

And, with almost 500 kids in attendance, we had a great hypnosis show as well and I even got to do some close-up magic for some of the students and faculty as well before the hypnosis program got underway!

But the real issue here is not this great party for these kids, but whether the effort is worth it - for the parent's group that had thrown it, for the mall, who has to pull in extra security and cleanup crew or for me because the drive, one way, was in excess of six hours, partly because of the construction on the Dan Ryan and the Bishop Ford highways here.

In a word, the answer is a resounding YES!

Here's why: prior to the start of the post prom lock ins, this particular town had suffered a rash of teen deaths due to drunk driving. In a period of less than three years ovr 10 kids had died in alcohol and drug-related traccif accidents and about a dozen more had been seriously injured.

Since the beginning of the post proms - NOT ONE KID HAS DIED or been seriously injured in alcohol or drug related traffic incidents on prom night! NOT ONE!

That makes it worth it.

And for me, it makes it more than worth it because on my graduation night (another night that many schools do these "lock-ins") a friend of mine was killed in just such an "accident" - by his own hand - in a single car incident.

So, you see, for me, it's personal. And rewarding. And, to be honest, a whole lot of fun, too!

If your school doesn't do a post prom or grad night lock in, contact either Mothers Against Drunk Driving or Students Against Drunk Driving for information on how to get the ball rolling in your community.

The life you save may be your own kid's.

And that's not anything but fact.

Spread the word. I am.

Lee