Santa Ynez Band of Indians Donates $6,000 to Safe and Sober Grad Night

The all-night soiree, which will be held May 31, began more than 20 years ago as a way to provide a safe and alcohol-free celebration for graduating seniors.

“We’re very happy to support such an important event,” said Vincent Armenta, Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Keeping our children safe is a top priority for us. Safe and Sober Grad Night not only provides a safe and secure environment for students, it also gives them a chance to celebrate a very important time in their lives.”

This year’s Grad Night theme, “Passport to the World,” will be held at the high school’s old gymnasium and will include outdoor games, a magician, a hypnotist, a DJ and an outdoor movie. The Chumash Casino Resort will be donating tables, chairs, playing cards, tournament chips and a staff of seven professional dealers for the event’s blackjack casino tournament.

“Teens and young adults are going to celebrate the night they graduate and, for many, that celebration is going to be unsupervised and it will include alcohol, drugs and/or other risky behaviors,” said Miren Armenta, the event’s chairperson and mother of a graduating senior. “I for one, will rest easy next Friday night since I will know exactly where my son is at and that I will see him, tired but happy, on Saturday morning.”

If you’d like to donate to this year’s Safe and Sober Grad Night, contact Miren Armenta at 805-331-8645 or email her at miren.armenta@gmail.com.

Through its Foundation, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $16 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the Chumash’s long-standing tradition of giving. To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit www.santaynezchumash.org.