Birthday Bird Going to Fly

Every year when I work Prom Plus from midnight to 5 a.m., I think ahead to my birthday – May 30 – and it sustains me so I can last all night. (Typically I hit “the wall” around 3 a.m.) This year was no different. Visions of Palm Springs (where Steve and I are headed today) danced in my head as I went to the cloakroom to see how the volunteers in there were faring or when I stopped by registration to see how our numbers of attendees were coming along (we had just over 300 students come to Prom Plus).

One year I actually welcomed my birthday at Prom Plus. This was before the school calendar had changed so drastically that prom and Prom Plus were moved up a week. But that year the kitchen director gathered up the Prom Plus Club volunteers and all serenaded me in the kitchen before we got back to making quesadillas and washing dishes. Happy memories to be sure.

I won’t lie – it’s tough working Prom Plus. As president of the 22-plus-year-old organization, my nerves are stretched thin as show time approaches when we open the doors at midnight to welcome Crescenta Valley High School seniors and their guests after prom. So much goes into transforming the Crescenta-Cañada Y for Prom Plus – the main room near the entrance is home to a casino, the courtyard has a smoothie station and food court (Dance Dance Revolution is also in the courtyard). The kitchen is teeming with volunteers who are making hot dogs, the aforementioned quesadillas, pulled pork sandwiches, coffee and much more to keep our guests – and volunteers – fed throughout the night. In the entry of the gym area the henna tattoo artists are set up along with the balloon lady. The west parking lot is where guests find a mechanical shark, human foosball, climbing wall and bungee. The lower parking lot houses the zip line. It does please me, though, when the Y’s executive VP Damon Colaluca does a walk-through and is amazed by what has been done.

From midnight until 5 a.m. we keep our guests busy. As they leave, the vets from the local American Legion and VFW posts, along with help from J’s Maintenance, converge on the property for clean up. By 8 a.m. on Sunday, the Y was returned to its former pristine condition with all signs of Prom Plus gone.

Now that I’ve caught up on my sleep (mostly), I’m preparing for a trip east to sit out by the pool, enjoy a good dinner (or two) and finish recuperating from the event of the year – for me.

Obviously it takes help from every area of the community for Prom Plus to be a success every year. I’ve attempted to thank everyone who lent a hand (see page 24) but if I’ve left someone out, I apologize and formally thank you here.

  robin goldsworthy