ODESSA, Texas — Graduation- the ending of one chapter, and a right of passage as thousands of seniors walk the stage in the coming days.
"It's a once in a lifetime, monumental event. We don't want that to be the last event of their lifetime," Mike Griffis, Ector County Sheriff said.
Sheriff Griffis says historically, graduation night is a big night for underage drinking, which can lead to drunk driving and other accidents.
"We don't want these graduates to go out there and drink and get out on the highway, get out on the road and have a crash, hurt themselves, kill themselves," Griffis said.
Odessa mother Bryn Dodd is helping drive home that message. Her son was killed by a drunk driver last September. The crash upended everything in her world.
"There's a hole in my heart. Part of me died that day. I talk a lot about before Evan died and after Evan died because I'm different. I've changed because of this," Dodd said.
Her message to her son's peers is simple: Make good choices.
"You're on top of the world, you have your whole future ahead of you, but one poor decision: Not following curfew, texting and driving, drinking and driving or being somewhere you know you shouldn't be can change everything for you or someone else," Dodd said.
The same goes for parents of graduates too.
"I know when you're a parent and you're serving alcohol you feel like you're in control of the situation because it's in your home, but you're not. You cannot control the kids and you can't control what happens to their bodies when they're drinking and so bad things can happen even if you're serving alcohol and you're monitoring at a party," Dodd said.
Midland's Project Graduation is set for May 28, 2021. Odessa police and other local law enforcement plan to beef up patrol this weekend and next.
Up to a thousand seniors will pack the Midland Horseshoe from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. for clean safe fun.
Parents, volunteer, and teens who stay the whole time get to cash in the money they can win in games like casino and volleyball. They can also win big ticket tech items.
They're fed and entertained instead of making a dangerous decision on a night meant for safe celebration.
Odessa police say they've stopped at least a dozen graduation parties with alcohol over the past five years because of this combined effort. Meanwhile in Midland, their Project Graduation event has kept hundreds if not a thousand new graduates out of trouble every year for over 30 years.