Coming off a successful tri-tip drive-thru fundraiser, plans are moving ahead for a festive Sober Grad night party of the Class of 2022 at Escalon High School.
Scheduled for Friday, June 3, the event is designed to provide a safe, secure environment for graduating seniors to enjoy their final night of high school together. Activities typically range from casino-style games to Bingo, inflatables, music, food, prizes and more.
“EEF, the Escalon Educational Foundation, has taken us under their wing,” said Sober Grad committee member Krysten Lial. “We are kind of a subcommittee under the EEF.”
Several volunteers are filling spots on the committee, with everything from working on securing vendors to bring in the various activities to lining up the food and coordinating prizes being covered.
Lial said committee members were pleased with the recent drive-thru dinner fundraiser, having sold 185 tickets.
“This is the only fundraiser we’ll do this year,” she said, adding that the committee always welcomes donations of any kind to help put on the Sober Grad event.
Many businesses and service clubs in the community have donated in the past, whether a straight cash donation to help defray costs or providing prizes. The goal is to make sure every senior attending the gradation night party goes home with at least one prize.
Those seniors who volunteered to help out at the drive-thru dinner will also receive a discount on their ticket for the Sober Grad event.
As far as the fundraiser, though it cost a little more, the support of the community still made it a success.
“Tickets went up a little bit this year,” Lial admitted of the recent tri-tip dinner, explaining that they raised the price to $55 for the dinner ticket for four in response to increased costs for purchasing the components of the dinner. The cost of the tri-tip meat, she said, seemed to be the largest increase as prices for meat have risen dramatically.
Now, though, committee members can turn their attention to getting plans finalized, with graduation less than four months away.
Lial also said as was the case last year, organizers will work to have many of the activities for the Sober Grad night set up outdoors and will “be adhering to the state and local guidelines” regarding COVID-19, whatever guidelines are in place in early June.
