Project Graduation will open its fund-raising campaign with a party aimed at middle schoolers. Each year, the organization provides seniors with a lock-in celebration on graduation night.

“We are going to have a Middle School Skate Night at FunTown on Wickham Road on Aug. 27 from 6:30 p.m.  to 10:30 p.m.,” said senior Grace Beck, who serves as a liaison between Project Graduation and the Senior Class. “Tickets will be on sale at lunch all this week, as well as at FunTown on Saturday night. They are $15, and it includes unlimited skating, laser tag, pizza and a drink. All of the money paid from West Shore middle-schoolers is given to Project Graduation.”

Project Graduation encourages seniors to assist with the event.

“For every hour of help given toward the event, one raffle ticket will be given to that student to use for prizes on the night of Project Graduation,” Beck said.

Project Graduation’s parent coordinators Susan Gregory and Cathy Whaley, who have taken the reins of the organization,  have begun the fund-raising early and are working closely with Beck, who last spring was voted to be the newly created position of communications director for the Senior Class.

Another Project Graduation fund-raiser that began on Open House night features the West Shore Spirit discount card which features discounts at approximately 15 local businesses and does not expire for one year.

“There’s a website on the back of [the cards] that you can go to, put in your zip code and they will give you tons of coupons for your area that you can print out too,” Beck said.

Seniors are responsible for selling the cards which will be distributed to them in the weeks to come.

“Like FunTown, for every card sold, that senior will get one raffle ticket to use on the night of Project Graduation,” said Beck, who added that Project Graduation isn’t pushing the cards quite yet.

“We want to wait until all of the entertainment book sales have died down, that way we can put all of our effort into the cards,” she said.