DAVENPORT, Iowa — Holly Green is the chairperson for the after-prom committee for Davenport Central and North High Schools. A lot of fundraising goes into putting on the event and Holly wanted to highlight a committee member for all she's done to help.
“So I nominated Jeri because she just exemplifies community. She joined our after-prom committee last year and right away said ‘I know the perfect fundraiser. I’m gonna host a bowling tournament at Leisure Lanes where I work part-time,'" Green said.
Jeri Elam has stayed on the committee again in 2024 despite no longer having a student that is at either high school. All her help has earned her the Pay It Forward award, sponsored by Ascentra Credit Union.
The after-prom is held at TBK Bank Entertainment Center. The night is filled with food, arcade games, bowling, and more for students.
“It keeps them out of trouble, I like to say. I chaperoned last year, and you can tell a lot of them are super excited to come," Elam said.
The committee works hard year-round to fundraise for the event. They put on many fun tournaments like bowling, Uno, and cornhole to raise money. In total, members set a goal of raising $26,000 so students don't have to pay for entry.
“I am in charge of the bowling tournament, and we get half the house, and they’re 5-person teams and I can usually fill it…I think we were one team short this year," said Elam.
Elam has continued to volunteer with the committee to ensure other students in the community have a fun and safe night.
“Like hey, all this hard work actually paid off. And like my daughter was a senior last year and some of her friends are seniors this year and they’re like ‘oh I can’t wait for after-prom, I can’t wait for after-prom’," Elam said.
The committee's next fundraiser is a cornhole tournament on Saturday, March 30 at the Buffalo Community Center. If you're interested in participating, you can learn more here.
Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for his or her community? News 8 and Ascentra Credit Union would like to help you Pay it Forward to them. Click here to nominate someone you know.
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