I didn’t post the “Weekly Learn” this week as my weekend was completely and totally consumed by the Finneytown AfterProm. As such, I’m dedicating a post to the fantastic Finneytown Community and the kids who partied hard (but safely). I love the neighborhood where we decided to put down roots. AfterProm captures all the many ways of growing your kids (and friendships) in a village.
Wrestlers. AfterProm.
On a whim, I volunteered to co-chair AfterProm last year with the most excellent Angie Becksfort. This year was my turn to run the gig and, I think, it went pretty well.
What is AfterProm?
It’s a safe event for kids after the prom. Rather than heading to your friends’ house and having a bonfire and other questionable activities, you hang at the high school and dance, play games, eat good food, and win prizes. As a parent volunteer, the goals are:
- Love the kids by serving them
- Have fun
- Create awesome memories
- Practice community
- Prevent drug and alcohol use
- Prevent other shenanigans
All in all, we succeeded!
What’s Involved in AfterProm?
Quite a bit. But on game weekend, it involves:
- Decorating the High School in a theme. This year was “Travel Around the World”. This is a rather large task.
- Running rooms with varying activities.
- No sleep.
- Tearing down the High School decorations
The more folks who volunteer, the faster all these action items go. And this year we had a really solid group. We were fast.
What will the future bring?
A lot. I hope. A community continually ages and grows. I look forward to bringing new families and groups into the volunteer fold. I love talking to the “elders” who ran AfterProm in years past. There are many memories. We continue to add to them.
This is a roundabout way of saying if you’re reading this post on social media and live in my neighborhood, consider signing up to help next year!
