As we've told you, NOYS will offer 50 $1,000 awards for the best NYTSM activities.  Last year, 15 SADD chapters were recipients of a $1,000 award, and we're hoping for even more this year!  All you need to do is register your activity on the NYTSM website before the end of May, and you're eligible for an award.  It costs nothing to register your activity and takes just a couple of minutes, so don't miss this chance to win $1,000!

Need some ideas?  You can download traffic safety activities by clicking here.  Remember, the contest is competitive, so bring your best and most creative idea!  Visit the NYTSM website for lots of other useful information.

Part of NYTSM is Act Out Loud, a new competition with a $10,000 grand prize!  Lucas Grabeel, better known as "Ryan Evans" from High School Musical, is the celebrity spokesperson for Act Out Loud and has been interviewed by media across the country.

We told you about applications for this back in March, and we're pleased to report that of the 10 finalists, three are SADD chapters - Chelsea High SADD from Chelsea, Vermont; Dermott High EAST Lab TOPS/SADD from Dermott, Arkansas; and Notre Dame Prep SADD from Scottsdale, Arizona. 

We congratulate these chapters for being selected as finalists.  Now it's your turn - the winners will be chosen through Internet voting, and we encourage all of you to vote for the SADD chapters!  Let's show everyone the power of SADD's national network and demonstrate support for fellow SADD chapters.

Voting happens only May 1-7, and you can vote once per day per unique e-mail address.  An email will then be sent to that address, and you'll have to click a link in the message to confirm your vote.  Please take a minute to vote every day from now through May 7.  Click here to vote today!

First-place winners will receive $500, with $250 for second place, and $100 for third.  To learn more, click here.

Also, make sure to check out the SADD Store at the 2008 SADD National Conference.  The SADD Store will anchor the new Exhibit Hall.  Stop by the booth and receive free shipping on your order of t-shirts, shorts, attitudes for living posters, and more.  Your order could make it back home before you do!  These items make great gifts for others, too.

If you can't wait until June, visit the online store at saddstore.org today.  You can also reach the SADD Store by phone at 1-800-394-0090 or by e-mail at saddstore@workflowone.com. 

Before you order, don't forget to ask your State Coordinator for a special code so your state SADD organization benefits from your purchase.  Don't have a State Coordinator?  No problem!  Your purchase helps SADD chapters nationwide.

The SADD Speaker Series is an exciting program available to help students stay safe by empowering them to make positive decisions.  The series, comprised of three dynamic and interactive presentations, has received wide acclaim in communities across the country.

It's not too late to bring a presentation to your school this month or to prepare for the fall by booking a presentation for a back-to-school kickoff.  SADD's familyfocus presentation brings young people and parents together to discuss the "reality gap" that often divides them.  The schoolspeaker presentation reaches out to students, empowering them to make healthy choices.  And teenstoday provides educators and parents with information from SADD's groundbreaking, original research about the real world of today's teenagers.

The presentations feature SADD Chairman and CEO Stephen Wallace, who has broad experience as a school psychologist and adolescent counselor.  He is the author of the new book "Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex, What Parents Don't Know and Teens Aren't Telling," available in August from Sterling Publishing/Union Square Press.

 

SADD National has recently launched its first-ever MySpace and Facebook pages.  To stay current with the latest news and information from SADD National, add us as your friend!  The SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC) and SADD National Staff will be updating the pages and responding to questions and comments.

To view our MySpace page and add us as a friend, click on the logo or visit myspace.com/saddnational.

To view our Facebook group, you'll need to have a Facebook account first, which is free.  Then click on the logo or click here to join our group.

After you've joined up, invite all your SADD friends to join as well.  Thanks!

From the SLC Programming Working Group -- Emily Smith, Alex Boncek, and Joseph Laston

Are you inviting friends and family over for Memorial Day?  Keep everyone entertained with outdoor games, such as volleyball, croquet, bocce, or horseshoes.  All these and more can be purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods through the SADD eMall.

When you order online through the SADD eMall at sadd-emall.com, a portion of your purchase will support SADD programs and activities.  Retailers automatically generate funds for SADD that average 3 percent - and up to 25 percent - of the purchase.

Will you be graduating this year and planning a party to celebrate the momentous occasion?  If so, be sure to stop by the Oriental Trading Company store on the SADD eMall for all your fun decorations and party supplies.  If you're not, but you know someone who is, purchase a gift at the Personalization eMall store.

And for those who are superstitious, you might want to prepare for Friday, June 13.  Look for a four-leaf clover or other good luck charm at Amazon.com.

Helping SADD while making your everyday purchases is easy.  Simply visit sadd-emall.com, click on the store of your choice, and do your shopping.

In the Spotlight this month is Central Mountain High School SADD from Mill Hall, Pennsylvania.  Central Mountain High SADD prepared a variety of activities for Alcohol Awareness Month in April, which included publicity and outreach to elected officials.

Some of the activities included a pre-prom assembly with drug and alcohol prevention messaging; a safe after-prom party at the local YMCA; an entire week of drug and alcohol prevention activities later in April; and assorted other efforts.

Just working hard to make all of these activities happen is commendable - but Central Mountain High SADD went one step further, reaching out to the Clinton County Commissioners.  They not only persuaded the Commissioners to issue an official proclamation for Alcohol Awareness Month, but they also worked hard to get publicity, which resulted in local press covering the presentation of the proclamation to SADD officers - and they even brought a SADD poster to display in the picture for increased impact.  Wow!

Central Mountain High SADD Advisor Gene Bennett reports that all the events were successful and the students are even planning to reach out to other schools in the county without SADD chapters to help get them started!

The combination of comprehensive prevention efforts with consistent messaging, the outreach to local officials, the securing of media attention, and the effort to establish new SADD chapters makes Central Mountain High SADD a role model for SADD chapters nationwide.  Congrats to everyone at Central Mountain High School SADD for their efforts to make an impact in their community!

If you'd like to see YOUR chapter featured in The SADDvocate or in our print newsletter, Decisions, be sure to let us know what you're doing!  Include a picture or two if you can.  Send news to Chris Egan, SADD National Director of Field Services, at cegan@sadd.org or at the mailing address at the bottom of this e-mail.

SADD's Program Corner is written each month by a member of the SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC).  The Program Corner will bring you quick and easy ideas for activities to enliven chapter meetings, brighten your school, or reach out to recruit new members.  This month we welcome SLC member Alex Boncek from Nags Head, North Carolina.

One great activity that any SADD chapter can do, at little or no cost, is to host a Quick Click Challenge.  In this activity, teams of four will compete to rotate through all four car doors, sitting and buckling their seat belts each time.  This activity gives students a fun and comptetitive opportunity to work in teams, and helps them to understand that all passengers need to buckle up and to see how quick and simple buckling up really is.

Here's how it works: participants start outside the car with the doors shut and windows rolled up.  At the start of the clock, students open a car door, sit down, close the door, buckle their seat belts, and raise their hands.  Once everyone is buckled, a SADD student supervising the challenge gives them a signal to change positions.  Students then get out, switch seats, and repeat the process until they've entered through all four doors and buckled in each seat.

To find a vehicle to use, ask your SADD advisor, fellow students, teachers or school staff, local car dealerships or rental agencies.  Make sure that they understand doors may be slammed shut, for this is a fast-paced activity.  Ask a local restaurant to donate a meal for the winning team, or ask other local businesses for prizes.

Did you know there are lots of free activity ideas like the Quick Click Challenge at sadd.org?  Click here to see a list of some of the great ideas for activities your chapter can do!

And don't forget about the SADD Manual, which is filled with important information and helpful activity plans.  Click here to learn more about the new SADD Manual.