The party's over...

The 2007 prom season is winding down as most schools have already had their proms or are scheduled to do so in the upcoming weeks. It has been a happy time for some, and the worst of times for others. As is usually the case at this time of the year, the news stories have been coming in relating "Prom Night Tragedies". I monitor prom-related news and stories via Google Alerts and seldom a day goes by that stories such as this are reported...

"Several of the underage people had made statements that the alcoholic beverages was (sic) provided by the home owners," the warrants stated.

Two high school seniors and the mother of a girl who threw an after-prom party have been charged as part of the investigation in the death of an 18-year-old student at the party.

2 Students, Adult Charged In After-Prom Party Where 1 Died

When 'little prom party blew up'

Once prom ended, the partying began

Many of those schools or organizations that did not sponsor an all night after-prom party saw such things happen in their communities. It is not enough that some kids or parents sponsor an "un-official" after-prom party as these private affairs have a way of getting out of hand. In addition, some parents think they are doing the kids a favor by providing alcohol to teens in a "supervised" fashion.

The 2007 prom season may be over, but we still have graduation ahead of us and the same after-graduation parties are planned. It is not too late to get your organization motivated to organize an event that will keep the kids safe on this special night. My book may be titled the "After Prom Party Guide", but it plays just as well for graduation party planning.

To all those parents, schools, PTAs/PTOs and other organizations who had the foresight to plan a party for the kids....

Thank You!
You may have saved someones life!

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Prom and graduation season is upon us...

There is a wonderful website for a group based in Columbus, Ohio called the Drug-Free Action Alliance. Their mission is to provide leadership and foster networks to promote safe and drug free communities throughout Ohio. They want to increase public awareness of substance abuse and its harmful effects and the role of Drug-Free Action Alliance in substance abuse prevention.

They have an excellent article on their website, which I am going to include below as it addresses something that we hear about every year at this time... parents who host parties for teens and serve (or permit) alcohol at these parties. The article is entitled "Parents Who Host, Lose The Most".

Don’t be a party to teenage drinking

Parents play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. In a recent national survey of parents and teens by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol, smoking pot, or using cocaine, Ecstasy or prescription drugs while a parent was present. By age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where parents were present.

Drug-Free Action Alliance has developed the “Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking” public awareness campaign to provide parents with accurate information about the health risks of underage drinking and the legal consequences of providing alcohol to youth. The campaign encourages parents and the community to send a unified message at prom and graduation time that teen alcohol consumption is not acceptable. It is illegal, unsafe, and unhealthy for anyone under age 21 to drink alcohol.Here are the facts:

• Parents who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
• Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and everything associated with such a violation can be confiscated, including personal property.
• Parents can be sued if they give alcohol to anyone under 21 and they in turn hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.Underage use of alcohol is a serious problem that too often leads to harmful consequences for youth and their families. Parents can protect themselves and their teens by following these guidelines when hosting parties for their children:
• Host safe, alcohol-free activities and events for youth during prom and graduation season
• Refuse to supply alcohol to children or allow drinking in your home or on your property
• Be at home when your teenager has a party
• Make sure your teenager’s friends do not bring alcohol into your home
• Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol at youth events
• Report underage drinking

More information about “Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking” is available at www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.

There is still time to pull together an alcohol-free party for your school's senior prom, get the After Prom Party Guide - and get busy!

Prom Night Tragedy

Readers of this blog know that I wrote the After Prom Party Guide hoping to save some teenagers lives. We have all heard about prom night parties and celebrations that got out of hand and resulted in police involvement and embarrassed parents. Unfortunately, too many of those parties result in young people losing their lives because of such wild, unchaperoned revelry.

Mac Bledsoe is a famous author of the Parenting With Dignity books and DVD parenting program that has been featured on ABC's 20/20, the Today show and countless other TV and radio shows. Mac had the unfortunate personal experience of staying the night in a hotel while an after prom party was being held on his floor. He posted an entry on his blog yesterday about that incident.

Mac's story is not just about an interrupted night's sleep, that party ended tragically with the deaths of teens involved in an auto accident later that night. All one has to do is hear about such a sad account to realize that as parents we really do have to protect our children from themselves.

That my friends is why I wrote the After Prom Party Guide. If you have a teenager, know a family who has a prom-age teenager, or just want to help us spread this message. Please send this website address to everyone you can think of... help us start a Life Saving Virus! If you tell 3 people and they tell 3 people... together we can save some kids' lives.

www.LifeSavingVirus.com
Help us spread the word!

New Year Recommendation

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that your family had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Year's celebration. Our family played it low key this year, we stayed home with a cozy fire and watched the ball drop in New York - even if it was two time zones away.

One of the worst things about holidays, and yes, proms and graduations, is the need so many people feel to overdo the celebrating. I'm not just talking about kids here, how many times have you seen a mature adult throw good sense out the window and get in a car and drive after a party where too much alcohol was 'enjoyed'.

That kind of thinking is what gets so many kids in trouble with prom and graduation celebrations. They just don't know how much is enough and years of experience is not on their side. Forget the fact that they're under age, if given the opportunity far too many will choose to celebrate their "coming of age" with alcohol... or drugs.

Protecting our teenagers from themselves was the motivation behind me organizing our first After Prom Party, and then write the book on how to plan such an event. This year, how about making a resolution to do what you can to make your teens prom and graduation an affair to remember. Let's try to save a life and offer the kids a safe and fun alternative to rowdy parties and after hours carousing. Get a copy of my book for your school or your PTA/PTO and help pull together a celebration that will give all the kids great memories - and hopefully save a child's life.

Make 2007 a Happy New Year

Make a resolution to use the After Prom Party Guide

After Prom Party Guide Now Available

After a comprehensive rewrite and months of exhaustive research and interviews, Version 2 of the After Prom Party Guide has been released. It is now available for immediate download.

In addition to a detailed course of action, specifics about what to do, how to do it, where to go for help and how to finance, promote and stage an after prom party, the book includes everything from your first meeting agenda, party theme ideas to sample solicitation letters.

This powerful new eBook is an all-encompassing "how to" instruction manual for staging an event that will have the kids talking for months afterwards. BUT most of all, this is a solution to keeping kids safe on one of the most dangerous nights of their lives.

What's more, this is about helping you save time, money and frustration. The guide covers every conceivable facet of planning, organizing, promoting and producing your event. Please visit our main website and learn more about this new eBook, the After Prom Party Guide !

Prom or Graduation

Although I have titled this book the "After Prom Party Guide", it can also be used to plan virtually any occasion where you want to host an event for older teens. Graduations, birthdays, post game parties, homecoming, any occasion where the safety of teenagers is a factor. Obviously, the school and the community will not be involved in a birthday party, but the planning tips, resources and party ideas can be used to help you stage any event.

And remember, I am so confident that you will see value in this book that I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Just one idea could save you thousands, but if you decide this information isn't worth much more to you, you have 30 days to receive a full refund. There is nothing to lose - except time - and possibly forgetting one tiny item that means the difference between a party - and a GREAT PARTY!

I do hope that you will visit my After Prom Party website and read more about our party planning guide. Thanks!

Why a book?

Why do you need a book just to throw a party?

Your After Prom party is a major EVENT. This is not a neighborhood Bar-B-Que or friends getting together for a relaxing evening. Arranging a party - and staging an event where you will have legal, financial, security and liability concerns are two completely different things. Your After Prom Party will require significant demands, forethought and intense planning that most people have never needed to consider.

Typically we get wrapped up in the food and entertainment aspects of throwing a party for friends. With an event such as an After Prom party, those are secondary concerns. That is why we have taken the time to develop effective guidelines and procedures and include everything from example solicitation letters (that you can download and customize), party theme ideas, instructions on what to do, how to do it, where to go for help and how to finance and insure your event.

In addition, the world is a different place today after the tragic events of 9/11. There are new laws and requirements that must be acknowledged that relate to everything from fundraising to liability issues. As an example, there is now the government sponsored "Do Not Call" program that can affect how you proceed when you solicit funds and gift donations.

You cannot hope to stage a successful After Prom party without proper planning and knowledge. This is why our book was created - to help you plan, promote, finance and stage a FUN, After Prom event that meets everyone's expectations - from the kids to the parents, police and school officials.