About

Mission Statement

The After Prom Grand Finale event is an additional incentive for students to stay until the end of their school’s after-prom party. In all of the years of the After Prom Grand Finale event, NONE of the participating schools have experienced the tragedy of a drug or alcohol-related accident on prom night.

What is the After Prom Grand Finale event?

The After Prom Grand Finale event is not an after-prom party at all.  It’s an event at the end of the school year celebrating high school Juniors and Seniors across Southwest Virginia who make the safe choice to stay until the end of their school’s after-prom party.  The Grand Prize car donated by First Team Auto Mall in Roanoke is an additional incentive for students to stay until the end of their school’s after-prom party. The annual After Prom Grand Finale event takes place on the first Sunday in June in Roanoke.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the state of Virginia. Prom night is one of the deadliest nights for teens to be on the roads.

For 31 years, the After Prom Grand Finale event has incentivized teens in Southwest Virginia to attend and stay until the end of their school’s after-prom party in order to win a new car. In 31 years, NONE of the participating schools have had an alcohol or drug-related accident on prom night. We estimate that’s over 85,000 lives saved. In 2019, more than 65% of teens (over 5,251) from 40 participating schools stayed until the end of their party. Six Qualifiers were chosen by each school. Of the Qualifiers who attended the APGF event, 74% attended and stayed until the end of their party to try to win the car.

The school parties do a great job of keeping teens entertained but because of APGF, they are more willing to stay ALL night and wind down instead of leaving early and getting into risky behavior.

How old is the After Prom Grand Finale event?

The After Prom Grand Finale event is 31 years old! (It would be 33, but COVID-19 struck and ruined two prom seasons.)

The After Prom Grand Finale event was started by the Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC) in 1988 to entice area teens to attend and stay until the end of their school’s after-prom parties. By staying until the end of their after-prom party, students could qualify to attend the event and win a brand new car. First Team Auto Mall has been donating a brand new car as the Grand Prize since 1991.

In 2019, the Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO) Advisory Board took over ownership of the After Prom Grand Finale event.  YOVASO, with its 19-year history of working to keep teen drivers safe on the roads, has supported this event for many years and is the perfect entity to carry the torch of After Prom Grand Finale.  YOVASO works with First Team Auto, Virginia First and K92 to facilitate the annual After Prom Grand Finale event.

Why should my school participate in the After Prom Grand Finale event?

The After Prom Grand Finale event is important to participating high schools because students can only qualify if they stay at their school’s after-prom party until the end, which for most schools is 3:00am. The schools and community organizations work hard to keep the students entertained and engaged, but without the incentive to stay until the end, students might leave their after-prom party early because, in the mind of a teen, the night is still young at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. If they leave their after-prom party early, they are still at risk for not arriving home safe. Even if a teenager is not using substances while driving, it’s likely that someone else might be. Staying until the end of the school’s after-prom party keeps them safe.

Prom is one of the most exciting nights for teenagers, but it’s statistically also one of the most dangerous. Participation in the After Prom Grand Finale saves lives. In 2019, over 5,251 students from 40 high schools across Southwest Virginia stayed until the end of their school’s after-prom party. That is over 5,251 youth who made it home safely to their families after one of the biggest nights of their young lives.

In the past 31 years of After Prom Grand Finale, NONE of the participating schools have experienced the tragedy of a drug or alcohol-related accident on the night of their prom.

When and where is the 2020 After Prom Grand Finale event?