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.

For more than two decades, car crashes have been the number one killer of teens in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  In an effort to reduce reckless driving among teens, the Ad Council joined with a coalition of state attorneys general and consumer protection agencies to launch a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) in February.  The ads target teens and young adults and urge them to speak up when they are in a car with friends who are driving recklessly.  SADD is helping the Ad Council continue to spread the word on behalf of this important campaign, which first launched in January 2007 with the "UR the Spokesperson" theme.

The new TV, radio, outdoor, and interactive elements continue the intervention strategy used in the past and communicate to teens: "If your friend is driving recklessly, say something."  The TV spots feature comedians Rachel Harris, Fred Willard, and Rob Riggle acting as teen passengers who humorously speak up to stop their friends from driving recklessly.  The PSAs direct audiences to visit a newly redesigned interactive website, SpeakUpOrElse.com, where they can take a pledge to be a safer driver, send a friend an e-card about his or her driving, send a friend a video chat featuring one of the comedians in the PSAs, and learn more about how to drive safely.  These tools will become available in the coming weeks.

According to the Ad Council, since the campaign's launch there has been a significant increase in the proportion of young adults who said they spoke up when a peer was driving recklessly.  This new round of PSAs will continue to raise awareness and inspire teens to say something when they're in a car and don't feel safe.  SADD is also working with the Ad Council to create a page on Facebook about the campaign where you'll be able to download a series of new widgets and other interactive tools.  Stay tuned for more news about this exciting campaign!

There's been more talk about the drinking age with a report on 60 Minutes recently, and we've seen a spirited discussion on our Facebook page on this topic.

Make sure you're informed!  The arguments for lowering the drinking age are generally unsupported or proven wrong by research.  SADD strongly supports the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA).  For more information about this topic, see SADD's U21 Tool Kit or the Why 21? website.

Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) just introduced the Support 21 Act, which will provide funding for a media campaign explaining the research supporting the MLDA and further research on the law by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  You can learn more about the bill by clicking here.

Free National Youth Traffic Safety Month (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!

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is reminding the public that they have created a series of parent tools and brochures regarding youth drug use.  Many of these can be downloaded or ordered in quantity for free.  They have also compiled resources by topic - such as prescription drug abuse, marijuana, steroids, etc.  To learn more, visit theantidrug.com/resources.

March 15-21, 2009 is Poison Prevention Week, and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) has created materials that can be used to plan activities for the week.  For more information, click here.

That same week is also National Inhalants and Poison Awareness Week.  Our friends at the Alliance for Consumer Education have prepared an Inhalant Abuse Prevention Kit that contains PowerPoint presentations, a facilitator's guide, and printable brochures and fact sheets designed to educate parents of younger children about this serious issue. 

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.  Please use the SADD logo!

Discovery SADD recently brought the "Choice Bus" to their school.  The bus, sponsored by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, calls attention to the problem of school dropouts with an interactive presentation on the bus, including a documentary called "Inside/Out."  The program graphically presents the issue of school dropouts by citing statistics related to how much more often high school dropouts end up in jail, and then revealing that the back of the bus is a prison cell.  The program was intended to call attention to the problem for these middle school students before they reach high school, where dropouts occur.

Discovery Middle School SADD Advisor Sherri Shamwell reports that the Choice Bus earned the chapter lots of press attention, with articles in the local papers and the chapter officers' being interviewed by a local television station. 

The high school dropout problem is a serious one.  The Choice Bus tours the southeastern U.S., but SADD has also partnered with the Ad Council on the Boost campaign, which is designed to support students who are considering dropping out.  The America's Promise Alliance has also focused on this issue, creating the GradNation tool kit.

Congratulations to Discovery Middle School SADD for their efforts to head off this serious problem in their community!

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

Now is a perfect time to plan for a prom and graduation series speaker.  SADD Chairman and CEO Stephen Wallace, author of the new book Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex--What Parents Don't Know and Teens Aren't Telling, speaks to students, parents, educators, and other adults who influence young people.  He shares SADD's groundbreaking original research about the real world of today's teenagers to empower students, improve family communication, and explore the role adults have in helping keep teens safe.

Following a trend in which schools and communities are scheduling multiple presentations, SADD is offering a $300 discount when two presentations are booked.  Schools have found it valuable to hold a daytime assembly for students and an evening program for parents, or a daytime program for faculty and an evening program for students and parents.

To learn more about the six presentations available in the SADD Speaker Series, visit saddspeaker.org or contact Stacey Hart at 1-877-SADD-INC (723-3462) or shart@sadd.org.

 
For more information or to order, visit saddstore.com, call 1-800-394-0090, or e-mail saddstore@workflowone.com.