It’s nearly time for high school seniors to put on the cap and gown, move that tassel to the other side and celebrate – safely.
Like many other communities across the state and nation, Cape Elizabeth participates in Project Graduation, a volunteer-run initiative that raises funds to hold a chemical-free, overnight celebration following graduation ceremonies. This year’s fundraising efforts in Cape Elizabeth will conclude on April 30 with an event at Broadway Bowl in South Portland.
“It’s a way for our community to give back to our students who are graduating and growing up in our town,” said Greg Gordon, a co-chair of the Project Graduation committee.
Cape Elizabeth’s Project Graduation organizers say they want to keep their teens safe while celebrating after commencement ceremonies. File photo / Portland Press Herald
The “Eat. Bowl. Bid.” event will provide the opportunity for all three of those activities at the bowling alley and restaurant on Broadway. From 3 to 9 p.m., 10% of all food sales will go to Project Graduation and attendees can bowl for free between 5 and 9 p.m. An online fundraising auction will conclude that evening as well.
“It’s a year-long process to make sure that you’re raising enough money and making sure that it’s all done correctly so that we have an event that keeps the kids engaged from 6 p.m. until the wee hours of the morning,” Gordon said.
While Project Graduation is a celebration, he said, it also plays a critical role in keeping graduates safe during a time that is often associated with partying.
“We want the entire community to understand what it’s all about and why we actually do it,” Gordon said. “I think it’s an important institution not just in Cape Elizabeth but in all communities that participate.”
Project Graduation began in 1980 in Oxford, inspired by the deaths of seven Oxford Hill High School students in which substances played a role during the commencement season of 1979. In 1981, 11 other schools adopted Project Graduation and by 1986, the chaperoned, overnight, chemical-free celebrations were being held in all 50 states and two Canadian provinces. The number of youth fatalities attributed to alcohol, drugs and driving during graduation time consistently fell, according to the state.
Cape adopted the program in the 1980s, said Jea Chung, a co-chair of the committee.
“Graduation day just marks the last thing these kids will do as high school students,” Chung said. “We want to keep them as safe as we possibly can so they have a great start to the next chapter of their lives, be it college, work; whatever endeavors that these kids have.”
Gordon described the annual event as “bittersweet” as it’s a celebration of the graduates’ successes with a staunch reminder.
“We want to make sure that our kids come back the next day,” he said.
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