MADD Canadas Post-Prom Party Shows Grads They Dont Need Alcohol or Drugs to Have a Night to Remember

Non-stop action at an all-night party for students of Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School included a prize draw for a car donated by Impact Auto Auctions.

Oakville,Ontario – Students want the after-grad and after-prom parties to go on all night long. And why not? Graduation is a huge milestone and one that should be celebrated. But the reality is that alcohol and drug consumption at unsupervised post-grad parties can pose serious risks for young people, especially if they get behind the wheel of a car.

This year, MADD Canada and Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School teamed up for A Night to Remember – a successful pilot project that offered the school’s graduating class a night of fun, festivities and prizes in an alcohol and drug-free environment.

“We wanted students to enjoy themselves on this special night, but we wanted them to be safe too,” said Renata Cvitkovic, MADD Canada’s Chapter Services Manager for Ontario. “A Night to Remember offered a safe a fun alternative to situations where they could be exposed to alcohol and/or drugs and may have felt pressure to partake.”

The event started at 11:30pm on June 22, after the school’s prom, when grads and their guests were bussed back to the school. The non-stop action went on until dawn, and included: dancing, video games, interactive contests, a magician and a caricaturist. In the morning, students and guests were picked up by their parents or guardians.

“The event was a success from start to finish,” said Henry Tyndorf, Principal of Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School. “Our students really embraced the idea of this all-night party at the school and parents and school staff had the comfort of knowing that our young people were going to have an incredibly memorable night with no risk of alcohol or drugs, or the risky behaviours it triggers.”

The highlight of the night was the draw for a 2008 car, valued at $9,000. The car was generously donated by long-time MADD Canada sponsor, Impact Auto Auctions, and was presented to the winner, Daniel Cabral, at MADD Canada’s Oakville office.

Impact Auto Auctions is a major supporter of MADD Canada’s annual National Conference for Victims of Impaired Driving, as well as other programs.

“Impact Auto Auctions is pleased to support many of MADD Canada’s programs and efforts aimed at keeping young people safe from impaired driving,” said Terry Daniels, Managing Director for Impact Auto Auctions. “We strongly believe in MADD Canada’s youth programming such as this after-prom party. We know that programs like this are critical to the prevention of impaired driving and we hope that Daniel enjoys years of safe driving in this vehicle.”

The event enjoyed tremendous support from local businesses and organizations, including: Impact Auto Auctions, Winners, Gino’s Pizza, MAC Cosmetics and Research in Motion. For a complete list of businesses and retailers which contributed support and/or prizes to the event, please visit the School Programs page on MADD Canada’s website at www.madd.ca

“We are very grateful to the staff, students and parents of Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School for making this event such a success, and to the local retailers and businesses which were so generous in their support,” said Ms. Cvitkovic.

MADD Canada hopes this alcohol and drug-free event can become a new tradition at this and other schools, as it has in other parts of the country.