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Greetings!
Welcome to The SADDvocate! This month we have important information about contests and other resources for your chapter. From all of us at the SADD National office and the SADD National Student Leadership Council, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday season! Please encourage all students in your chapter to sign up for The SADDvocate - just have
them visit the sadd.org
homepage to join! If it's easier, you can send a list of names and
e-mail addresses for your chapter to Chris Egan, SADD's Director of
Field Services, at cegan@sadd.org. Sometimes school computer filters prevent students and advisors from seeing The SADDvocate with graphics and colors or from reading it at all. Remember that you can read all issues of The SADDvocate at any time by visiting our online archive. This issue will be posted to the archive later today. We also want all advisors and students to join our social networks - click the
links on the left! |
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Contests, Awards, and Grants
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 We need your help! Chase is holding a contest to give away $5 million to charities. Through their Facebook application, Chase is allowing Facebook users to vote for their favorite charities now through December 11. The top 25 charities in the voting will each receive $25,000, and a chance to compete for a $1 million donation in January! Should we be one of the top 25, SADD will use the money to support our Student Leadership Council and national conference - so please help us out!
Voting is easy. Just click here, become a fan of Chase Community Giving, and then vote for SADD. You'll notice that we're currently incorrectly listed as "SADD Students Against Drunk Driving, Inc" (we're trying to fix that), but please take just a minute and vote for us. After you vote, click the "Post to Wall" button at bottom so that all your friends see you've voted, and then click "Invite a Friend" to encourage your friends to vote with a personal message. You can even post a comment talking about why you voted for SADD. Time is running out - just a week to go - so cast your vote today!
 NOYS is once again holding the Act Out Loud competition for 2009, and it's bigger and better than ever! Here's how it works - until March 1, your chapter can submit a project proposal to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving (which is the focus for 2010). Twenty teams will be selected as finalists, and they'll receive $1,000 and a video camera to document their progress. Then in May they'll post a final video, and Internet voting will choose the winner - who'll receive a cool $10,000!
Last year, Anoka SADD from Anoka, Minnesota, won the entire Act Out Loud competition, Coral Springs Charter School SADD from Coral Springs, Florida took third, and SADD chapters made up seven of the 20 finalists. We're hoping for even more success this year!
This year Act Out Loud is even bigger. The first 200 teams to submit proposals will receive $200 for their project - that's free money, so don't wait - submit your proposal today! There are new prizes to recognize the Most Supportive Principal and Advisor, with $5,000 prizes for each. And the national organization that has the most chapters submit proposals receives $10,000 to support their national conference - and we want that to be SADD! So put your thinking caps on, and submit your Act Out Loud proposal soon. Visit actoutloud.org to learn more.
 The Marin Institute is once again holding their "Free the Bowl" video contest to encourage the NFL to remove alcohol ads from the Super Bowl and call attention to the issue of alcohol advertising in general. To enter, create a 30- or 60-second video using at least one of the facts from contest fact sheets. You could win a Macbook computer if your video is chosen as the winner! Visit freethebowl.com for more information.
 Ford's Driving Skills for Life program is partnering with singer ("99 Times") and actress (One Tree Hill) Kate Voegele for a safe driving song contest. Write and record an original song on the topic of safe teen driving, and submit it by March 1, 2010. Ford will pick the top 10 songs from those submitted, Internet voting will determine five finalists, and Kate Voegele will pick the winner. The winning song will earn its creator(s) $5,000 each (up to five band members for a total of $25,000). Click here to learn more.
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2010 SADD National Conference News
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Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2010 SADD National Conference, Under the Sea: Changing the Tide. Make your plans to join us at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in sunny Orlando, Florida, June 27-30. Space is limited, so register today! Click here for more information and to register! You won't want to miss: - 3+ days of networking opportunities for youth and adults;
- Interactive workshops and general sessions;
- The chance to learn from the experts in a variety of youth-focused fields;
- An evening trip to Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park;
- The opportunity to explore Downtown Disney; and
- An amazing resort setting with an incredible pool, boating, biking, nature trails, and much more!
Through the generosity of Liberty Mutual Group, SADD is pleased to offer 12 partial conference scholarships of $350 to attend the 2010 SADD National Conference. Applicants must be currently enrolled in high school or middle school or be an active SADD advisor or conference chaperone. Click here for scholarship information and the application. All scholarship applications must be postmarked by Friday, January 15, 2010. Innovative workshop proposals are being sought for the 2010 SADD National Conference. Do you have expertise in youth leadership, chapter development, or advocating for change? Do you have extensive knowledge in the areas of alcohol and other drug use, teen driving safety, bullying and teen violence, healthy lifestyles, or suicide prevention? If so, please submit a workshop proposal! All proposals are due by Friday, January 22, 2010. Youth, adults, SADD chapters, and other organizations are all encouraged to apply! Click here to download the workshop proposal form. |
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Help Stop Texting While Driving!
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 Each year, SADD works with Liberty Mutual Group (our National Insurance Partner) to conduct studies of teen driving behavior. According to our research in 2008, 73% of teens admitted to texting while driving. Of those, 97% thought this was dangerous, but did it anyway. They're right - research shows that you are 23 TIMES more likely to crash if you're texting while driving! National attention is being paid to this issue. In October, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood convened a Distracted Driving Symposium with more than 250 attendees to work on the issue. President Obama banned all 4.5 million federal employees from texting while driving. Bills have been filed in Congress to address the issue, including by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). Here are some things SADD chapters can do to call attention to this important issue. - Inform friends and family of the statistics and risks of texting while driving.
- Set a good example - don't ever text while driving, and speak up when you're in the car with someone who texts while driving.
- Check whether your state is one of the 19 states that has passed a law banning texting while driving and, if not, work with your local legislators to try to pass one.
- Reach out to your local media with a letter to the editor about the issue.
- Consider using technology solutions like ZoomSafer, software for your phone that sends a message to people who call or text you saying you're driving and will get back to them when it's safe to do so.
SADD chapters can take the lead in promoting responsible driving behavior that saves lives. Step up to the challenge! |
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Programs and Resources
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 Youth Service America (YSA) and the America's Promise Alliance have a new tool for teachers - a website full of service-learning lesson plans tied to state academic standards. Teachers can upload their own lesson plans to share with others. Visit gotoservicelearning.org to learn more. You can also visit semesterofservice.org to learn more about YSA's three-month Semester of Service that begins with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January and runs through Global Youth Service Day in April.  This December, DoSomething.org is launching a campaign to Support our Troops! These men and women are serving their country and are away from their families and loved ones during the holiday season. So show your support and send them a letter of encouragement and appreciation. Check out DoSomething.org/Troops for more information.  Many SADD chapters have participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring, an effort to collect food and donations for local charities during or near Super Bowl weekend. If your chapter is interested, visit souperbowl.org to learn more.  Did you know that you should never use periods within "SADD"? There are lots of other useful tips in SADD's Graphic Standards Manual, which you can download here. Remember that the SADD logo is available in high-resolution versions in a variety of formats on the sadd.org website. Chapters are free to use the logo in compliance with the Graphic Standards Manual, including in print and on t-shirts, websites, etc. Click here to download the logo! |
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Every Day Is a Sale Day This Month!
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 Who needs Cyber Mondays - EVERY day this month the SADD Store is offering great deals! There are plenty of great products on the clearance rack at 30-50% off the original price.
With the holidays approaching, why not order some attitudes for living notecards to thank those who've supported your chapter this year? What about custom calendars using your photos and school event dates that your chapter could sell or give away to raise awareness?
If that weren't enough, from December 7-31 any order of $500 or more will receive a $50 gift certificate to use at the SADD Store in 2010!
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Safe Celebrations Ahead!
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 You can play a special role empowering others to choose healthy decision-making in the new year ahead!
Whether you're planning alternative spring break programs, school assemblies, or readying for prom season, consider hosting an outstanding speaker who will literally change lives. The SADD Speaker Series, presented by Stephen Wallace, offers a range of programs that he tailors to benefit your unique audience.
As a school psychologist, adolescent counselor, researcher, camp director, college professor, and SADD Chairman and CEO, Stephen has gained broad experience with teens and unique insights into teen development, attitudes, and behaviors. He explains how modern-day adolescence is filled with potentially deadly behaviors carefully hidden from the view of parents and other adults, but the presentation is full of hope and inspiration. Stephen points to the incredibly powerful role that parents and other mentors can play in the lives of young people and highlights the tremendous contributions that many teens are making to their families, schools, and communities every day.
Book a presentation by January 1 and receive the 2009 rate! To learn more about the School Speaker, Family Focus, or Parent Power programs, contact Jessica Rice toll-free at 877-SADD-INC (723-3462) or jrice@sadd.org.
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Chapter Spotlight: Chilhowie SADD
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In the Spotlight this month is Chilhowie High School SADD from Chilhowie, Virginia.
Chilhowie SADD created a seat belt campaign called "Save Your Tail-Gate, Buckle Up!" This comprehensive program was designed to encourage students to wear seat belts while driving. The program included a variety of elements. The students started by conducting a seat belt survey to establish a baseline of seat belt use and then began an extensive educational campaign. They got the message out through a variety of strategies - they made school announcements, hung posters throughout the school, and set up a crashed car display. They also used promotional items in high-visibility ways, such as throwing "buckle up" footballs into the crowd at school football games. They also asked students to promise by signing pledge cards to wear their seat belts. Most important, they measured the effectiveness of their efforts by conducting regular follow-up seat belt surveys - and they found a five percent increase in seat belt use just a week into the campaign. School Resource Officer Deputy Ernie Atwell reports that the program has already been a major success. Congrats to Chilhowie SADD for all their hard work helping students stay safe behind the wheel! 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. |
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Don't forget that the SADD National Field Services
Department is here to provide help and support to chapters, especially those in
states without State Coordinators. Just call 1-877-SADD-INC or e-mail cegan@sadd.org for service.
Please spread the word about
this newsletter! You can sign up on the sadd.org website to receive it, and we'd like as many students and
advisors as possible to sign up. The SADDvocate will be
published every month during the school year, with no issues in July or August.
If you'd like to forward the newsletter
to others, please DON'T forward it within your e-mail program, which distorts
the formatting, links, and graphics. Instead, use the "Forward This Issue to a Friend" link at
the top or bottom left of this newsletter. If it's easier, you can simply encourage them to read it online. A link to the archive of past issues of The SADDvocate is available here.
The SADDvocate is designed to be visually appealing and colorful, with graphics and photos throughout. Make sure you are enabling images in your e-mail program to see it properly. If you receive only a text version of the newsletter, ask your IT person at school how you can receive HTML messages to get the full benefit of this newsletter.
Thanks again
for all you do for SADD!
Sincerely,
Christopher Egan, Director of Field Services
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