We're thrilled to announce that Anoka High School SADD from Anoka, Minnesota won the 2009 Act Out Loud competition!  We extend our thanks to all of you who voted in support of SADD chapters.

Groups across the country applied to be part of Act Out Loud, and seven of the 20 finalists chosen were SADD chapters.  As finalists, these chapters received $1,000 in March to implement their traffic safety project, along with a Flip video camera to document their efforts.  The teams chronicled their preparation and projects on blogs, complete with text and video entries, through early May.  Internet voting over a two-week period during National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May determined the winner. 

For winning the contest, Anoka SADD received $10,000, which they will use to fund a minigrant program for other youth and community groups in their area for even more traffic safety projects.  Congrats to Anoka SADD for this impressive victory!  Congrats also to Coral Springs Charter School SADD from Coral Springs, Florida, who finished third and won $3,000. 

You can pick up some great ideas for your chapter and see the creativity of the winners by reading the blogs and viewing the videos from the winning teams at actoutloud.org. 






  
In addition to the Act Out Loud competition, there's the annual "50 Best" awards - 50 $1,000 awards recognizing the 50 best National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM) projects.  Two years ago, 15 of the 50 awards went to SADD chapters, and last year SADD captured 18 of the 50 awards.  This year's awards will be announced over the summer, and we're hoping for even more SADD chapters in the winners' circle!

NOYS has introduced a new parent program called "Under Your Influence," which aims to equip parents with tools and strategies to encourage their teens to drive safely.  The underyourinfluence.org site contains videos, an eye-opening quiz, tips and tools, and more.  Check it out today!

More than a decade of research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or use drugs.  To help push this practice, CASA created Family Day, which will be held on Monday, September 28th.  On Family Day, families are encouraged to eat dinner together.  Your chapter can consider this as a September kickoff event and start your planning now - free materials are available.  To learn more, visit casafamilyday.org. 

The National Safety Council has created a Teen Driving Safety Leadership Award, which can be given to an individual or an organization.  The award recognizes those who have made exceptional efforts in reducing injuries and fatalities of teen drivers.  Nominations are due July 31.  To learn more, click here.

Our friends at the National Youth Leadership Council are once again offering the Project Ignition grant competition.  Does your chapter have a great idea for a teen driving safety awareness campaign?  Apply for Project Ignition, and you could be one of 25 finalists awarded $2,000 to put your project into action.  Ten finalists will be awarded a trip to the National Service-Learning Conference to share their project reports as part of the National Teen Driving Summit.  The winning team will receive $10,000!  To learn more, click here.

Stafford SADD has been incredibly busy over the last few years with a huge assortment of activities.  They were recognized with an OJJDP/Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center "Success Story" award for their Tuxedo Insert Program, which puts an informative card about prom safety in the pocket of every tux rented (and every corsage box sold) in their area.

They've attended numerous health and safety fairs to spread the SADD message; hosted the "Southern Vermont Red Ribbon Tree" at their local mall to memorialize those lost to impaired driving crashes; taken a leadership role in Vermont's innovative START (Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Team) program, which uses teens to train law enforcement officers to enforce underage drinking laws; and participated in various environmental strategies programs to reduce the availability of alcohol to teens.

Stafford SADD also held regular safety belt surveys followed by educational campaigns to increase safety belt use; hosted child safety seat installation clinics; and created a teen pledge program for safe driving with prizes for participation.  They've even become certified peer instructors in Internet safety, among many more activities (too many to list!).

As a result of all their hard work, Stafford SADD advisor John D'Esposito reports that the chapter (members are pictured above) was recently awarded with a 2009 Vermont Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Service.  Congrats to Stafford SADD for this great (and well-deserved) award.

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.

The current administration (as with past administrations) has proposed eliminating the state grant portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program.  Under the state grant portion of SDFSC, every school district in the country receives funding for drug and violence prevention.

We know some SADD chapters are able to access this funding for special events, speakers, and other programs.  You can learn more about the issue and contact your legislators through our friends at Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA).  To read more and take action, click here.

We're looking forward to gathering with 500 youth leaders and adults in July for the 2009 SADD National Conference, Climbing the Hill, in Washington, D.C.!

Here are some highlights:

• Nearly four days of innovative programming, interactive workshops, and opportunities to connect and network with SADD students and advisors from across the country
  
• Nationally recognized keynote speakers Leon Quan, Ty Sells, Patty Hendrickson, and John Morello
• More than 40 innovative and interactive workshops
• An evening tour of Washington, D.C., landmarks and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe
• The SADD banquet - an opportunity to celebrate the great work that goes on throughout the country during the year
  
• An energizing youth rally on Capitol Hill, followed by congressional visits
  
• And much, much more!

Not able to attend this year?  Information regarding the 2010 SADD National Conference in Orlando, Florida, will be available soon!

 
To order, visit saddstore.org, call 1-800-394-0090, or e-mail saddstore@workflowone.com.