Prom season is in the air!  If you've hit a local restaurant in the last week or so, you've seen the sea of prom dresses that would make Loretta Lynn look underdressed, the high school boys trying to figure out why in the heck anyone would ever wear a cummerband, and some corsages and bouquets that are bigger than the students wearing them or carrying them around.  I love prom season because it brings back great memories of high school.  (Yep!  I went to prom as sophomore, suckers!  And I went with a senior girl!  My friend Jennifer was a cougar before being a cougar was cool!  LOL!)  And, speaking of "cool" . . . last week, I was asked to participate in something REALLY cool!

On Thursday, I had the privilege of going to Owensboro Catholic High School to witness students taking the PROM PROMISE.  I was asked by the S.C.R.U.B.S. organization to come by and serve as a witness to students who pledged to spend prom weekend alcohol and drug free.  To say it was an honor to be asked to do this is an understatement.  I was glad to go and lend my support to students pledging to stand up to peer pressure and make better choices for themselves.

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 Nationwide's PROM PROMISE reads like this . . .

I will make a difference.

I refuse to be a statistic.

I refuse to live with the guilt of making a wrong decision and refuse to wait until it is too late.

I will not only live my life in the present, but will also live a life with hopes for the future.

I will not let alcohol and drugs determine the outcome of my life or the life of an innocent victim.  Regardless of where I am from, who I am, and what I believe, my life is worth more than any destructive decision.

I am willing to give up those selfish desires that destroy humanity, in an attempt to create a safe, sober and drug-free America!

I will not wait until prom to make this promise.

(The Prom Promise is a registered federal service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.)

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The juniors and seniors at Catholic High were asked to stand before us and read the pledge aloud.  Some were shy.  Some read in unison with their friends.  Others read with the fervor of the Reverend Al Sharpton.  One gal even got to the paragraph about "destroying humanity" and said, "Wow!  This is intense!"

And, I suppose she's right.  The PROMISE is intense, but it needs to be.  We've all been there, haven't we?  And, I think at some point, we've all given into the pressure of the moment.  That's only human, I suppose.  But the purpose of the PROM PROMISE is to illustrate that it only takes a single "moment" to define or end a life.  These kids, on this day, made the PROMISE and refused to be defined by a single act of wrecklessness . . . a single moment of abandon . . . a single "destructive decision."

Now, I'm not a fool.  I am not convinced everyone kept the PROM PROMISE, but there's strength in pledging to.  I commend Owensboro Catholic High for instituting this program and making it, not only part of prom, but part of the school day as well.  It was a pleasure to be asked to witness and I had a ball meeting the juniors and the seniors of the school.  Their prom theme this year was Harry Potter and I have no doubts the night was magical.

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