Even before Crescenta Valley Weekly began, Robin Goldsworthy and I were involved with Prom Plus. As with many newspapers, CVW supports its share of philanthropic organizations, so it made sense that our full support would be behind this amazing 20-plus year organization.

Prom Plus is an after-prom party for CV High School seniors and their guests. Each year we raise $25,000 to put this party on that is held at the Crescenta Cañada YMCA. We have a rock wall climb, bungee run, bungee jump, zipline, gyroscope, laser tag, full casino and much, much more. We keep the kids busy and well fed from midnight to 5 a.m. When I first heard of this organization from Robin, who had been involved years before, I became a Prom Pluser. I thought it sounded like a lot of work – and I was right. The fundraising is never-ending, the outreach is constant and the planning takes months, but of all the things I volunteer for throughout the community this is the one thing that I can truly say I will never walk away from.

To understand the importance of Prom Plus, it is important to understand its origins. It was prom 1991 and CVHS senior Berlyn Cosman had just been awarded a full scholarship to Missiouri Western State College. Her sister Morgan was 12 years old at the time and has since said it felt like Berlyn was spreading her wings and becoming an adult.

There was an after-prom party at an Anaheim hotel and Berlyn wanted to go. Her parents decided to allow her to have this time with her friends; after all she had worked hard in school and would soon be leaving her classmates for college. She went to the party and at some point decided to go to the “sleep room” at the hotel while others continued to party. While she slept, Paul Crowder, then 19, entered the room with a gun and shot Berlyn while she slept. Crowder admitted to being drunk to investigators. Crowder’s defense at the time was he had tripped and the gun went off. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder. He is still in prison today.

As a reporter I have covered many tragedies. I have interviewed parents who have lost their children, and each time it is heart-breaking. But even years after interviewing Morgan, her words still haunt me. I have three children who are all very close. They even arrange “sibling days,” making certain that although they are getting older, they still stay close. To see them all together, to hear their laughter, gives me peace. Morgan spoke of her older sister like my kids speak of their siblings. She was just getting out of that “annoying” little sister phase, she said, and was looking forward to her new, more grown up relationship with her sister.

All of that changed that night after prom. Berlyn’s life was cut short and her family’s full life ended as well. Morgan spoke of having dinner and seeing that empty chair. She spoke of friends taking sides – Berlyn’s or Crowder’s. She was hurt by some who seemed to blame Berlyn for the tragedy and even lied about what really happened that night.

This is the climate that Prom Plus was founded in, a community torn apart, hearts broken and Falcons devastating from the loss of one of their own. A group of community members and parents were determined to do what they could to prevent this from happening again. They were determined to honor Berlyn’s memory. They worked together with the school district and CVHS to form Prom Plus where they gave kids an alternative to the unsupervised after- prom meeting.

And now each year on average 70% of those who attend CVHS prom attend Prom Plus. We don’t know how many lives we have saved, but we know we are giving these kids a safe place to have fun with their friends and they know that their parents, their community, have their backs.

We are looking for more parents to join Prom Plus. We need to keep this important organization going another 20-plus years. You don’t have to be part of every event, but can pick and choose when you have time to help. But be warned – once you attend your first Prom Plus and see how much fun the kids have, it is addicting. You will want to come back year after year.

For information, email info@promplus.org or call (818) 248 2740. To learn more, visit our website www.promplus.org.