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Prom pledge program continues this year

By Wayne Towner 3 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Each spring, students at Parkersburg South High School participate in the McCrady-Jones Prom Pledge.

The pledge program is sponsored by McCrady-Jones Nationwide Insurance and Vaughan Funeral Home.

As part of the program, students sign a pledge to not drink and drive on prom night. Students are urged to "have a plan," someone they could call for a ride home if they or someone they are with has been drinking.

This year, PSHS will be holding its prom on May 6 and through the week prior, students will have the chance to sign pledges. On May 5, a student assembly with a guest speaker will be held at the Rod Oldham Athletic Center and a name will be drawn from the students who pledged to win a limousine ride and dinner on prom night.

The cost of the dinner is provided by McCrady-Jones while the limousine is provided by Vaughan Funeral Home.

Joan Jones, agent and owner of McCrady Jones Insurance in Parkersburg, said her business participated in the Nationwide Prom Promise program from the beginning. Nationally, Nationwide Insurance was closely involved in the inception of the program and then backed off in favor of the local agencies, businesses and schools to preserve the local feel, she said.

McCrady Jones Insurance and PSHS were involved in the promise program for several years through the Drivers Education program at the school. Interest faded for several years but returned in the 2000s when students expressed renewed interest in it and it has been held annually for several years, she said.

The pre-prom assemblies have generally included speakers with an important message for students and in the early years a balloon release or other outdoor program, Jones said. For the past several years, students have held an assembly in the Rod Oldham Athletic Center. Speakers have included Jessica Lynch, athletes, two Miss West Virginias and others, including one speaker who talked about the impact on her life after being paralyzed in a drunk driving accident.

Jones said the speaker for the 2017 program is yet to be determined.

Sam Church, co-owner of Vaughan Funeral Home, said Vaughan has partnered with Nationwide Insurance in Parkersburg since the Prom Promise program was started locally through McCrady Jones Insurance Agency. The national program was started by Nationwide Insurance in 1990.

"It is very important, we feel, to provide a safe atmosphere and to make aware to the kids and parents of the effects of drinking and driving -- the deadly effects of it. We're just doing our part to promote awareness and to provide some safety on the night of the prom," Church said.

Vaughan Funeral Home provides limousine service for the winning student and their date, along with two other couples. The limousine will pick the students up at their homes, take them to a location for photographs and for dinner provided by McCrady-Jones at the restaurant of their choice, then take to the prom and then pick them up afterward and return them home.

Church said the students are appreciative of the service and parents are very appreciative about the increased safety provided by the service.

"We've had very good feedback from the community," he said.

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