“We are behind with fund-raising. In the last four years, we have experienced a steady decline in donations. There’s no one factor for this, but one stark reality is that we’ve been fortunate during this time to not have any tragedies to underscore the need for a safe afterparty for the teens to enjoy post-prom. “The aim of this event is to provide an alcohol-free, secure venue for seniors and their guests to let loose with good, clean fun as they celebrate the culmination of their Barrington childhoods. “It takes 365 days of planning, 12 board members, 40-plus committee members, 200-plus setup volunteers to keep over 300 students safe on senior prom night each year. Help us keep this amazing event going for 2025 and years to come.””

Message from Barrington AfterProm

An event intended to keep kids safe on prom night needs your support to survive. 

Volunteers with Barrington AfterProm say donations have dropped significantly over the past five years, while costs to run the popular event have risen by 25 percent. Officials said the nonprofit’s financial reserves have been depleted, and AfterProm is at risk of not being sustainable after this year. 

Barrington AfterProm started in 2001 — the all-night celebration offered high school students a safe and fun alternative to underage drinking parties on prom night, which is historically one of the most dangerous nights of the year. 

Barrington High School students quickly fell in love with AfterProm. Each year there is a different theme to the event. There are games and activities, plenty of food and other refreshments, live entertainment and an impressive raffle. The prizes have ranged from laptops and flatscreen TVs to dorm room microwaves, refrigerators and even cars. A local student won a used Mercedes Benz at one of the early Barrington AfterProm events. 

Officials say Barrington AfterProm has grown more popular (and is regularly better-attended) than the prom itself. In the eyes of most Barrington High School seniors, AfterProm is as important as the prom, friendship service and graduation — it is one of the key events of their senior year.  

But most students may not know that Barrington AfterProm, which is entirely free for seniors and their guests, is not funded through the school district operating budget. It is entirely donation-based… and donations are down.

“Since Covid, donations have been on a steady decline,” stated a press release from Barrington AfterProm. “Inflation over the past two years has increase our costs by 25 percent. With lower donations and inflation since Covid, we have been unable to fully replenish our reserve funds. As of this year, the reserve funding is gone. The future of AfterProm is at risk. At our recent level of contributions, it is not sustainable.”

Laurie Dubel, a volunteer with Barrington AfterProm, said there had been a need for more people to help run the event this month, but an appeal to families was heard and a number of residents stepped forward. Dubel said the response was amazing, but there are still significant funding needs. 

“I think there’s fewer people donating. I think it’s not because of apathy… I think it’s just lack of awareness,” she said. 

Dubel and other volunteers said many of Barrington’s newer residents may not know about the town’s history of teenage tragedies. For years, especially in the 2000s, the community experienced a number of fatal accidents involving Barrington teenagers. Many of the tragedies were alcohol-related. 

“I think it is part of our story of how it (Barrington AfterProm) came to be,” said a volunteer. 

AfterProm organizers are also keenly aware of the increasing number of events and groups asking Barrington residents for financial support. Barrington AfterProm used to be the only organization in town that held a restaurant night, where a percentage of proceeds from a single night at the restaurant go directly to the nonprofit. This year, the Barrington High School senior class had a restaurant night fund-raiser the same exact night at Barrington AfterProm. 

In addition, Barrington AfterProm used to send out a mailer to each home in town, but the group does not have enough funding to do that any more. 

How you can help

Barrington AfterProm organizers are hoping residents — those with children in the schools and those without — will donate to the event. People can donate via PayPal or through the nonprofit’s website, www.barringtonafterprom.org or through the QR code provided. 

“We have built a talented executive board and recruited new committee members enthused to take AfterProm into the future,” stated a release from the group. “Community awareness and financial support is needed for this to be possible.”