Fundraising Efforts Continue For Class Of '23 Sober Grad

With the major fundraiser – the annual tri-tip drive-thru dinner – hosted this past weekend, officials with the Sober Grad committee have officially kicked off their fundraising efforts for the Class of 2023. The goal is to put on a safe and memorable graduation night party for Escalon High School seniors, and the tri-tip dinner provides a solid base from which to work. “We sold 200 dinners, pick up was 4:30 p.m. to 6 pm. here at El Portal,” Sober Grad committee member and BBQ coordinator Renee Snow said on Saturday morning, April 1, as crews came in to prepare the meat and begin the process of putting together the dinners, designed for a family of four. “This is the only fundraiser we do for the Sober Grad night.”

Organizers count on donations from the community to help as well, said Snow, with cash, gift cards and other items being sought. “Not a lot of high schools have the luxury of doing this and our high school is one of them that does it super big for the kids,” explained Snow. “It takes a lot of people, a lot of money to run it, and do it and it gives a safe night for these kids and it’s something they look back on … I have people who reach out to me who buy tickets and go ‘I remember when I went to my Sober Grad’ and we just need to remind people how important it is to continue donating, to support this.”

Between now and graduation, residents and businesses in the community are encouraged to donate to the cause, as the committee’s goal is to make sure every student attending the party on their final night of high school goes home with something, whether it’s cash, a prize, or both. “There are schools that don’t have the funding for it anymore and luckily, we live here, in this community where there are so many that want to support this cause but it takes your support, it takes everybody’s support,” Snow said. She added that they had to increase the ticket prices this year as a result of everything they put in the dinner also costing more, including the tri-tip, which she said was almost £1,000 more than last year.

Not having the drive-thru event wasn’t an option, even with the increased cost for the dinner for four, which included the seasoned tri-tip, four baked potatoes, salad and bread. “Instead of us saying let’s not do it this year, let’s hold off, we’ve got to continue doing it because whatever money we make on it, it’s to help support that Sober Grad night,” Snow added. Fellow committee member Krysten Lial said those that want to contribute can send checks to Escalon High School, Attention: Sober Grad, with the checks made payable to Escalon Sober Grad.

Letters seeking support have gone out to many businesses that have donated in the past and Lial said they have gotten some back, but overall, the donations are running behind where they have been at this time in the past. “After COVID, we took a huge hit in donations, it just is what it is,” Lial admitted. Snow said last year, when her son was a senior, she attended the event for the first time, after having been involved in fundraising but never going to the Sober Grad itself.

“Seeing the end result with my own eyes was amazing,” she said of the end of year party, which is staged on the EHS campus and features several hours of fun for the senior class. “All the food that’s there, all the games, definitely all the prizes that those kids win, and they always want each kid to leave with something.” Lial said the next effort will be to solicit for gift cards, which are sought at the £10 level, with the goal of each attendee leaving with at least one gift card and some cash, which they get to pick out from a ‘mystery cash box’ on arrival at the Sober Grad event. Students who helped out at the drive-thru dinner will receive some credit, as their ticket to attend will be less expensive.

Seniors turning out to assist were Shelby-Lynn Kessler, Johanna Romero, Cassandra Sanchez, and Clare McPherrin.

Lial reiterated that, between the gift card and mystery money, students are guaranteed to at least leave Sober Grad with £20, and tickets are typically £40 so they get half their money back.

“It’s a great, safe night of memories,” Snow concluded.