Pepperell and Creekside SADD were featured on Atlanta NBC affiliate 11Alive recently as part of the station's "The Great Hang Up" campaign to encourage drivers of all ages to pledge not to text, e-mail, or talk on their cell phones while driving.

This is an issue that is gaining increased attention everywhere, including from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, for whom it is a central focus.  Everyone should be aware that texting while driving is extremely dangerous, but research also shows that simply talking on a cell phone - even while using a hands-free headset - is distracting and dangerous as well.

Pepperell and Creekside SADD received terrific exposure in the piece that aired on 11Alive, which you can watch here.  Reporter Donna Lowery was live at Creekside High interviewing SADD students as they prepared to get their peers to sign the pledge, and she pre-taped a segment at Pepperell High which aired as part of the story.  At Pepperell High, SADD Advisor Alana Ellenburg reports that SADD students served hot beverages and the school jazz band played as SADD students convinced more than 100 students, teachers, and administrators to take the pledge.

Congratulations to Pepperell and Creekside SADD for addressing this issue and forming an important partnership with local media!

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's Director of Field Services, at cegan@sadd.org or the mailing address at the bottom of this newsletter.

Thanks to those SADD chapters that applied for the Act Out Loud contest, sponsored by NOYS (National Organizations for Youth Safety).  We'll have the announcement of the finalists in our April issue.

Remember to start planning your traffic safety activities for National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM) in May!  All SADD chapters are encouraged to devote some attention to seat belt use, distracted driving, or other traffic safety issues in May.  For some suggestions, NOYS offers a NYTSM toolkit full of activity ideas, templates, and more.

Our friends at Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer are holding a Student Leadership Academy this summer.

The Foundation was started by Alex Scott, a pediatric cancer patient who held an annual lemonade stand to raise money for cancer research.  Her dream was to raise $1 million -- a goal she achieved shortly before she passed away in 2004.  Since then, her foundation has raised more than $30 million for cancer research, much of it through volunteer-run lemonade stands.  SADD chapters across the country have held lemonade stands to benefit the foundation, and you can learn more about running a stand by clicking here.

This year, the Foundation created a Student Leadership Academy to help further Alex's inspiring example that one person can make a difference.  Held August 4-6 at Villanova University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Academy will bring together 60 students for three days of intense leadership training.  The Academy itself is FREE - if accepted, you'll only need to pay for travel.  You must be entering your junior or senior year this fall to be eligible to apply.  To learn more and get the application, click here.

Did you know chapters aren't permitted to use "Students Against Driving Drunk/Drunk Driving?"  Do you want to learn how to properly use "SADD" in your print materials?  Then download SADD's Graphic Standards Manual today!  And remember, high-resolution versions of the SADD logo are available for chapters to freely download and use.

Want to connect with your SADD peers?  Interested in learning about ways to improve your chapter and gain valuable knowledge?  Always wanted to visit Universal Studios in sunny Orlando, Florida?

Then you don't want to miss the 2010 SADD National Conference, Under the Sea: Changing the Tide.  The conference is designed and planned by youth and adults committed to SADD, just like you!  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.

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