A celebration for graduating high school students in Nanaimo-Ladysmith is in danger of being curtailed due to lack of volunteers.
Nanaimo Dry Grad is set for the night of Friday, June 20 at the complex at Beban Park in Nanaimo.
While organizers have events planned for the entire site, a shortage of about 150 volunteers may severely limit things, according Karen Pedersen, dry grad volunteer coordinator. Outdoor events and ones slated for Cliff McNabb Arena would be the first to go.
"We need everything from security to picking up garbage, wiping up spills, to supervising the [inflatables] … We have vacancies for people to blow-dry hair so that we can get stylists to do things with it. The kitchen needs a lot of help, because they do a lot of prep in there, and also we have a number of food stations throughout the event that we need to take food to and back," she said.
Pedersen speculated that because a dry grad event hasn't taken place in five years, it is outside the public consciousness. Still, holding an alcohol- and drug-free event for Grade 12 students is beneficial, she said.
"It's a way for all of these youths who have attended numerous high schools to come together and celebrate their adulthood, their graduating from high school, and seeing people that they haven't seen maybe since elementary school."
For more information and to volunteer, go to www.nanaimodrygrad.com/home.html.
