It's Not Too Late
to Update!
SADD charges no dues or membership fees to our chapters - we just ask you to take two minutes each year to update your chapter's information so that we have the latest contact information for advisors. You can quickly and easily fill out the form online, or, if you prefer, print the form and fax or mail it to us. If you haven't received a 2010-2011 Chapter Recognition Certificate, you haven't updated this year! Click here to update now.
|
|
National Insurance Partner
|
Regional Vehicle
Dealer Partner
 |
Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click below to receive your own copy!
 |
|
|
Greetings!
Welcome to another issue of The SADDvocate! April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and many chapters are preparing or already running activities for prom (don't forget to check out SADD's online Prom Toolkit). Global Youth Service Day is also happening this month - what are you doing to change the world? Read on for all the latest news! Our goal is to ensure that every SADD chapter has the latest news, so we're counting on you to help spread the word about The SADDvocate. Please encourage all of your SADD chapter members to sign up on sadd.org, or send a list (spreadsheets preferred, with columns for first name, last name, and email address) 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 properly, in full color with graphics. You can view every issue in our online archive. This issue will be posted to the archive later today. A good source of regular SADD news is our Facebook page. Please "like" our page today, and encourage your friends to do so as well! Links to all our social network pages are on the bar at left. |
 | Contests, Grants, and Awards |
May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM), and we encourage all SADD chapters to conduct traffic safety-related activities this spring. Here's a reminder of all the various contests connected with NYTSM - apply today!  It's your last chance to enter the annual Act Out Loud contest, focused on distracted driving. Your chapter has a chance at the $10,000 grand prize or one of TEN additional prizes of $5,000. Don't wait - the deadline to enter is Monday, April 11. Visit actoutloud.org for more information, and when you enter the contest, remember to put "SADD" in the "National Non-Profit Affiliate" field.  The YOUTH-Turn It Around Awards recognize organizations who respond to a traffic safety-related tragedy in their school or community by implementing a project this May during NYTSM to prevent future tragedies. The contest deadline is May 31, and the grand prize is $5,000! Click here for more information.  The Office for National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is holding an Above the Influence drugged driving poster contest as part of NYTSM. Open to students 14-18, the winning poster will be showcased nationally during NYTSM. The deadline to enter is April 14. Click here for more information.
 Your chapter can win the use of a state-of-the-art distracted and impaired driving simulator for a full week of activities through the One Simple Decision contest! Bringing a simulator to your school can be expensive, so this is a great opportunity. Click here for more information.  Finally, Ford's "Belt it Out" song contest ends April 30. Compose and perform an original song about distracted driving, and you and your band could win up to $25,000! Click here for more information.  Besides these NYTSM contests, there are a few others we want to share with you. The first is the Let Your Heart Rule teen dating violence PSA contest, a collaboration between Break the Cycle, Verizon, and Dr. Phil. The winning PSA will be shown on the Dr. Phil Show, and there are great prizes, too. The deadline to enter is April 15. Click here for more information.
 Bridgestone is offering their Safety Scholars PSA contest once again. If you're 16-21, make a video PSA about driver safety and you could win a $5,000 scholarship! The deadline to enter is May 13. Click here for more information.
We hope you or your chapter will consider entering at least one of these contests - your chance of winning is better than you think! |
| Programs and Resources
|
 How are you going to change your world on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD)? SADD is proud to partner with Youth Service America to engage youth in changing the world through service on GYSD, held this year on April 15-17. GYSD is the largest service event in the world, with thousands of youth-led community service and service-learning projects in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. To download free project planning tools, register your project, or find events and celebrations in your community, visit gysd.org.  The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is May 4, 2011. On this day, chapters should encourage students to visit stayteen.org and take the National Day Quiz and other fun tools which provide education on this important issue. You can find promotional materials, activity ideas, and more by clicking here.
A reminder that the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. Police departments are typically the drop-off point. Visit the website to check if there's already a drop-off point near you. If not, contact your local police department to see if they'd be willing to participate. Your chapter can also tie in awareness about prescription drug abuse to your promotion of this event.
 The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety launches on May 11 in the United States. Your chapter can promote this global effort to save millions of lives by using the symbol of the decade - a tag that can be worn. You can learn more at decadeofaction.org.
 Our friends at the National Association of Peer Program Professionals (NAPPP) offer valuable training for adults working with peer education groups, such as SADD advisors. Their Summer Training Institute will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, from June 14-18 with various sessions offered that you can choose from - attend for just one day or all five. NAPPP can also come to you with their training program. For more information, click here. |
| SADD National Conference - New Deadline! |
 Don't panic! There's still time for you to join us for the 2011 SADD National Conference, Passport to Adventure: Cleared for Takeoff, in Chicago, Illinois, on June 26-29. The registration deadline has now been extended to May 19!
Past conference participants have raved about the valuable workshops, terrific speakers, networking opportunities with other SADD students and advisors, off-site trips (this year to the famous Chicago Navy Pier!), and especially all the FUN! And if you're a SADD advisor, remember that professional development points are available to all adult participants. Make your plans to join us this June in Chicago for this incredible experience! Visit sadd.org to learn more and register today. |
| SADD Speaker Series - Bullying Program! |  SADD National now offers a special one-hour presentation geared for middle school students on the growing issue of school bullying and violence.
Delivered by SADD Chairman Stephen Wallace, the presentation features straight talk for students about bullying as well as cyberbullying and Internet safety. You'll learn concrete steps for students and staff to take to help deal with this critically-important issue. For more information about fees and booking, please contact Nicole Cheschi at 877-SADD-INC, ext. 222 or email ncheschi@sadd.org. |
| SADD Store - New Graduation Items! | 
You've been asking, and the SADD Store has delivered! You can now order SADD-branded graduation items. As you walk to receive your diploma, you can show everyone your commitment to SADD by wearing a SADD stole (pictured at right, also available in white), cord, or tassel with your cap and gown.
These great items are reasonably priced and available now, so don't wait - order today! Visit saddstore.org, call 888-608-6988, or email sadd@apisource.com to order. |
| Chapter Spotlight - Niagara Catholic |
In the Spotlight this month is Niagara Catholic High School SADD from Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Catholic SADD students (in partnership with their school's Key Club) decided to raise funds for Hands Together, a Catholic mission working to improve the lives of Haitian residents struggling in the aftermath of the devastating January 2010 earthquake. To do so, they spent a cold and snowy February evening in a "Sleep Out" - camped out in cardboard boxes in front of their campus. Besides collecting pledges, the Sleep Out raised awareness of the extent of the damage still present in Haiti more than a year after the earthquake.
Niagara Catholic SADD President Chelsea Tardibuono reports that the event was a success. Despite the cold, the evening helped the chapter bond together with fun activities like a trust walk and sledding, and they were supported by parents, the Key Club advisor, and their SADD advisor, Father Jerry Bartko. Chelsea says that besides the funds raised, it was also a learning experience. "We realized we had support and were able to get warm clothes and hot drinks when we were cold. We left with the knowledge of what it's like to have nowhere to go." She hopes the Sleep Out will continue to be a tradition at Niagara Catholic.
The event raised more than $800 which the SADD students presented (as pictured above) to Father Thomas Moore, who heads a seminary in Haiti and works with Hands Together.
As we approach Global Youth Service Day, remember that community service is an important part of any successful SADD chapter and is rewarding for many reasons. Congrats to Niagara Catholic SADD for their hard work and their commitment to help the less fortunate! If you'd like to see your chapter featured in the Spotlight, send news and a good group photo to Chris Egan at cegan@sadd.org.
|
| Chapter Toolbox |  Each month, a member of the SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC) will write a column designed to help chapters, with useful activity ideas, meeting suggestions, and more.  Hey everyone! My name is Juan Gomez, and I'm on the SLC. I'm currently a senior at Kearny High School in New Jersey. I'm hoping to study psychology and education in college, with a goal of eventually becoming a high school counselor. There's only two or three months of school left - make sure your chapter finishes the year strong!
April is finally here, and as always, it brings Alcohol Awareness Month. Many chapters are conducting activities related to underage drinking this month, some focused on prom or spring break. This is an important time for your chapter to help keep your peers safe!
There are a number of suggested activities and campaigns for prom on the sadd.org website. Some SADD chapters have elementary school students write letters to high schoolers asking them to stay safe on prom night. Others ask students to sign a pledge to have a sober prom. What is your chapter doing?
April also brings Global Youth Service Day. Is your chapter participating in a service-learning activity? Community service is a great way for your chapter to make a difference, attract new members to the chapter, and even get attention in the press, helping you grow even more.
Have a great month and enjoy the spring weather! |
|
Remember 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, ext. 223 or email fieldservices@sadd.org for help! Thanks for reading this issue of The SADDvocate, and thanks for all the work you do in your SADD chapters!
Sincerely,
Christopher Egan, Director of Field Services
SADD National |
|
|
