Don't miss your chance to win $10,000!  The National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM) contest "Act Out Loud" is bigger and better for 2009!  This competition challenges SADD chapters and others to develop teen traffic safety activism projects to save lives.

Here's how it works: apply by February 17 with a project idea.  Twenty schools will be chosen by February 27 as finalists and will receive $1,000 each to implement their project and a Flip video camera to document their efforts.  Starting March 9, they will document their project in blog and video entries and will post a final report on May 8.  Then, from May 11-22, the public is invited to vote online for their favorite project.  Internet voting will determine the winner, who will receive $10,000!  The second- and third-place winners also receive cash prizes of $5,000 and $3,000, respectively.

Last year Notre Dame Prep SADD in Scottsdale, Arizona, won second place, and two other SADD chapters were among the finalists.  We're hoping for even more SADD participation this year, but as of last week only one SADD chapter had applied.  It takes just a few minutes to fill out the application and you could win $10,000, so what are you waiting for?  Visit actoutloud.org to learn more and fill out the application.  Remember that the deadline to apply is February 17! 

 

Free NYTSM tool kit CDs are still available from the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), which puts on NYTSM.  To request your free copy of the tool kit, e-mail info@noys.org with your name, school/SADD chapter name, and mailing address.  Get your tool kit and begin planning your NYTSM activities for this May!

Did your chapter have a phenomenal activity this year?  Do you think your chapter has what it takes to be the SADD National Chapter of the Year?  Do you have an amazing advisor who deserves to be recognized?  If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you should be nominated for one of the 2009 SADD National Awards.

At the 2009 SADD National Conference in Washington, D.C., SADD will recognize the stellar work of some of its most outstanding chapters.  SADD will present the following awards: Activity of the Year, Advisor of the Year, and Chapter of the Year.  Nominations must be related to work supporting the SADD mission between April 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009.  Completed nomination forms and supporting materials must be received at the SADD National office by Friday, April 17, 2009.  First-place award winners in each category will receive a cash prize of $500, with $250 and $100 for second and third place, respectively.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to get recognized for all your hard work!  Click here to download the nomination form.  Please contact Ashley Conners with questions at aconners@sadd.org. 

Looking for activities for your chapter?  Make sure to visit the SADD website to see some great ideas.  Got a cool activity your chapter does that you'd like to share?  Visit Real Life SADD to post it, and see what other chapters have to offer!

Next week is National Children of Alcoholics Week.  Our friends at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have asked us to alert you that there is a FREE program kit available for this week.

The kit is designed to teach children of alcoholics skills such as problem-solving, coping, social competence, and autonomy, as well as to provide a sense of purpose and future.  The tool kit contains activities for elementary school, middle school, and high school students and includes a DVD and posters for substance abuse prevention staff.  To order, call SAMHSA's Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 and ask for inventory number CPKIT-D or click here to order online.  Again, the kit is free and so is shipping and handling, so order today!

Here's a reminder that the SADD logo is now freely available on the SADD website for registered chapters to download and use on posters, websites, yearbooks, t-shirts, and other items.  You no longer need to obtain advance permission to use the logo!  Click here to download the SADD logo, and make sure to check out SADD's Graphic Standards Manual, which explains the rules for using the logo properly.

Our friends at Do Something are once again holding their Teens for Jeans drive to provide jeans to homeless teens.  From January 26 through February 22, bring your gently worn jeans to any Aeropostale store.  They'll be given to a homeless teen, and you'll receive 25% off a new pair of jeans!  Do Something is hoping to collect 250,000 pairs of jeans.  For more information, visit teensforjeans.com. 

Last month we announced a new partnership with Enjoy the City Promotions to bring a new fund-raising program to SADD chapters called "The Ultimate Fundraiser."

All SADD chapters may participate in this no-cost, risk-free fund-raiser.  The concept is simple: SADD students sell valuable coupon books loaded with up to 600 coupons worth nearly $4,000 - and keep half the revenue for their chapter. 

There is no cost for this fund-raiser, as the books are provided to you on consignment.  There's no risk, either: you simply return unsold books after your selling period.  The books sell for $25 - a great value, since redeeming just a few coupons from the book more than pays for the cost.  The coupons are from a variety of family-friendly stores and restaurants, such as McDonald's, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Dick's Sporting Goods, and many more.

With this fund-raiser, your chapter could raise hundreds of dollars (or more!) in just a few weeks.  Of the $25 price per book, your chapter keeps $12.50 - and there are great prizes, too!  To learn more, click here and get started raising funds today! 

If you're looking for other fund-raising ideas, check out the tips we've posted online by clicking here.

Register now!  Plan to join us for the 2009 SADD National Conference, Climbing the Hill.  We have an exciting lineup of programs and activities for July 12-15 in Washington, D.C.! 

The SADD National Conference is a fantastic opportunity to network with more than 500 youth and adults, all committed to promoting safe, positive teen decision-making in their schools and communities.  This year, we have the unique opportunity to focus on advocacy efforts and prevention education, to participate in a rally on Capitol Hill, to conduct legislative visits with congressional leaders, and to explore the historic sites of our nation's capital!  In addition to the formal conference programming, pre-conference training opportunities and sightseeing tours are available. 

Conference details, registration information, fund-raising tips, and information about exciting pre-conference opportunities are available at the sadd.org website.  Check it out, and make your plans to join us in July! 

Daleville SADD recently joined members of the Indiana SADD state Student Leadership Council (SLC) in supporting a new Graduated Driver's License bill in Indiana.  Daleville students Alex McCall and Griffin Corn (who's also an Indiana SADD SLC member and is pictured above at right) testified on behalf of the bill, as did fellow Indiana SADD SLC member Devin Unrein from St. Theodore Guerin High School.

Thanks to their advocacy, the bill passed the full Senate and is awaiting passage in the Indiana House of Representatives.  Students from Daleville SADD and other SADD chapters in Indiana will join together with AAA for a rally at the Indiana State House on March 4 to push the bill to passage!

Youth voices can be very powerful in supporting legislation - your chapter can make a big difference on the state or local level!  We also plan to have every student attending the 2009 SADD National Conference in Washington, D.C., meet in groups with their federal legislators to back SADD National's legislative advocacy efforts.

While every student attending the SADD National Conference this summer will have a chance to meet with legislators, up to 40 students will help us craft language and legislative strategy in our special SADD SPEAKs training program.  Make sure to read the SADD SPEAKs article above, and consider applying today!

Congratulations to Daleville High School SADD for their efforts to change the law to save lives in Indiana!

If you'd like to see YOUR chapter featured in the Spotlight, be sure to let us know what you're doing!  Send news to Chris Egan, SADD National Director of Field Services, at cegan@sadd.org or the mailing address at the bottom of this newsletter.