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 Party Time Approaching

Hey parents, its time!

The High School prom is only a couple short months away and if your school or PTA/PTO organization hasn't yet finalized plans for an after-prom party… now's the time for action.

The sooner a plan is put in place - the better - for all concerned. The kids will get a first rate event, and you parents who are charged with pulling this together will sleep easier knowing what to do to make this a successful party. Fact is, even if your planning in in place and your organization is holding meetings and laying the groundwork, I'll bet there is something you could be forgetting. My after prom party planning guide leaves no stone unturned and just may offer some help in areas you haven't planned for. Whether it be security concerns, choosing the right menu or figuring out how you will entertain a group of kids for the night - I think I can help.

If you haven't yet downloaded a copy of the After Prom Party Guide… its time!

After Prom Party Guide endorsement

The following press release is scheduled for January 15, 2007

After Prom Party Guide endorsed by former PTA State Executive Director

After Prom Party Guide is a "Fast Start" blueprint for planning high school after-prom parties offered as an instant download. Learn how to make prom night one to remember - not a tragic night to forget.

KALISPELL, MT – January 15, 2007- Already recommended by parents and well-known parenting experts like Mac Bledsoe, author of the Parenting With Dignity books and videos, Lori Heatherington’s new book, the After Prom Party Guide has received praise from former Washington state PTA Executive Director, Jim Carpenter. Jim headed the Washington state PTA from 1985 to 2000. After reviewing the final manuscript, he said:

“As a former executive director with the Washington State PTA, I wish this book had been available when I was working closely with PTAs and schools. This is an excellent resource and an outstanding planning guide for parents who want to plan an effective and fun post-graduation party – a party that the students will want to attend and a party at which they will be safe. I highly recommend it and encourage every parent group to get this book.”

The premise of the After Prom Party Guide is to provide parents, schools, PTAs and PTOs with a detailed step-by-step instruction manual about how to plan and stage an after prom party. The guide covers every facet of event planning from fundraising and facility options to liability and security concerns, party themes, entertainment, decorating tips, and every essential issue related to producing such an important event. Included in this book and the complimentary website, are sample solicitation letters, checklists and even an ingenious telemarketing script to be used when requesting cash and product donations from businesses. Heatherington’s book also offers tips on how to win over the teenagers by promising and delivering a fun-filled and entertaining event.

“I am very excited that my book is now attracting such significant attention; this is so important. My goal is to get this book in the hands of every school and parent’s organization, or any parent that wants to make sure their child has something fun to do on one of the most dangerous nights of their lives. Most parents are simply not aware that thousands of American teenagers will be injured and scores will be killed on the night of their senior prom. Solving this crisis is what this book is all about”, says Mrs. Heatherington.

About the Author and After Prom.org

Lori works full-time for the Humane Society of Northwest Montana as Administrative Director. After Prom.org™ is owned and operated by Lori Heatherington, author, mom and owner of a small consulting business. She holds a marketing degree from Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas. The 'After Prom Party Guide' sells for $24.97 and is available for immediate download from her website, www.after-prom.org.

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!

Testimonial

I just received a testimonial about the After Prom Party Guide that I wanted to share. This testimonial came from Mac Bledsoe, who is a teacher, coach, parent and author of "Parenting With Dignity" books and DVD program. Mac is also the father of famed Dallas Quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. Mac wrote...

"It has been my privilege, over a thirty-year career, to work with kids as a teacher, coach, and parent and I must say that one of the most recurring problems during that time has been the Prom Night Parties! I have seen, first hand, some of the terrible things that can happen on prom night. Not until this book have I ever seen a plan for preventing the terrible things form happening, while at the same time preserving the excitement, wonderful traditions, and lasting memories of that great event in every kid's life. This book is a must read for every parent with a child of an age to attend a prom dance! The suggestions in this book will make the Prom Night more fun for kids while preventing the common problems associated with that event!."

You can read other testimonials here.

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.

Who needs this?

We ALL know what can happen on prom night - after the prom. We either learned the hard way, or read about incidents in the newspaper. Whether we want to admit it or not, prom night is often viewed as a "right of passage" and an excuse to abandon values and common sense and go wild.
The After Prom Party Guide is a remarkable new eBook crammed full of effective and proven procedures, sample solicitation letters, party theme ideas, instructions on what to do, how to do it, where to go for help and how to finance an After Prom party that will have the kids talking for months afterwards. BUT most of all, this is a solution to keeping YOUR kids safe on one of the most dangerous nights of their lives.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, on a typical prom weekend:

• 48 American teenagers are killed in vehicle crashes
• 5,202 are injured
• 40% of the deaths are alcohol-related

As parents and caregivers, it is sometimes necessary to protect our children from themselves. Prom night is one of our last opportunities to do this.

So, "who needs this book"?

Every high school in the country.

This book is about helping you save time, money and frustration. Mostly - this book is about saving lives. The purpose of this book is to serve as a detailed "Fast Start" guide for parents and PTOs to stage a substance free After Prom party that is FUN. The guide covers every conceivable facet of planning, organizing, promoting and producing your event.

Don't put this off a moment longer, get the book and begin organizing your after-prom party today! Learn all about it here...

Welcome Message

Thank you for visiting our After-Prom blog. The purpose of this blog is to support our new After Prom Party Planning Guide by offering new information and resources to assist your party planning efforts.

In many cases it is not the PTA/PTO or the school that organizes the after-prom party. It is often the loving, concerned parents who take it upon themselves to ensure that their children have a safe, fun alternative to 'traditional' After Prom carousing. Those parents seldom if ever have unlimited resources or "Hollywood prom party budgets".

If we provide just ONE idea for you, it could save you thousands of dollars... and yes, possibly even save a child's life. That is why we created the After-Prom Party Guide. In the After Prom Party Guide you will get event planning tips from concept to completion! Coordinate a safe, fun, drug and alcohol-free, teen-focused celebration with entertaining and engaging activities. Learn more about our After Prom Party Guide by clicking here.

Thank you!