Parents for Safe Grad seek volunteers

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Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 5:06pm

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Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Brandi Billings and Jessica Geary joined Capital Chat to advocate for this Sunday's Safe Grad party.

May 28 is the annual Safe Grad party. It will take place at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Recreation Center.

Seniors are free and guests are $10. Attendees should bring a valid ID.

The party runs from 10 p.m. to 1:23 a.m. with prizes, games, and food included. Doors open at 9:00 p.m.

The drawing for the $2,023 grand prize is at 1:23, and a senior must be present to win. Doors close for entry at 11 p.m. and readmittance is not allowed.

Billings explained the goal of Safe Grad is to be drug and alcohol-free.

"The big goal is to keep our kids from partying, keep them away from drugs and alcohol. As everyone's aware, there has been some tragedies in past years after graduations," she said. "It's really something that we all as parents and a community don't want to see somebody just starting out their adulthood and ending it so tragically. I know we'll have the Taylor White Foundation car out front, just to serve as a reminder for all the students that after the party, they should go home and go to bed."

They are looking for volunteers to help with the event.

"We need volunteers to run games, help us chaperone, walk around, make sure that the kids are having fun," Billings said. "Make sure that we're shuffling them to the various different items that we've got going on. We've got cornhole, we've got Connect 4, lifesize Jenga."

"Disc Golf, life-size Twister, we have cash grab boxes where you stand inside an inflatable box and try to grab as much cash as you can in 30 seconds," Geary added.

This is how Safe Grad began.

"The Parents For Safe Grad is a party that back in the late 80s, a group of parents got together and wanted Juneau kids to have a safe way to finish out their high school career. They partnered with community members and businesses to have prizes donated and games to come and play," Billings shared. "It's a safe place. It's morphed into now that we have more than one school, it's for all Juneau graduates from both of our high schools, the home bridge groups that are associated with both of those schools and our various correspondence. Homeschool graduates are also able to attend."

To sign up for transportation needs a student can reach out to either Thunder Mountain High School or Juneau Douglas High School. Departures begin at 9:30 p.m.

Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School graduates are also welcome to attend.

Look them up on their Facebook, or click here to sign up to volunteer.

Listen to the full Capital Chat here.

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