It's Time to Update!
SADD charges no dues or membership fees to our chapters - we just ask you to take two minutes every school 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. We're working diligently to enter the hundreds of registrations we receive monthly, and another mailing of certificates will happen this month. If you haven't updated this school year, please take two minutes and do so now by clicking the link below. Click here to update now.
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Greetings!
Welcome to another issue of The SADDvocate! It's our birthday, and you're invited to the party! SADD celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 30, and we ask all chapters to take part in the celebration. See the Chapter Toolbox article below for more information - and learn how you can help us get Congressional recognition for SADD! 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, because it's such a great resource. 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! We have some great discussions going on, and we'd love your input. Links to all our social networking pages are on the bar at left. |
 | We Need Your Help - Contact Congress!
| We need your help right away - can you take five minutes to help us get Congressional recognition for SADD? Congressman James McGovern (D-MA), who represents the Congressional district hosting the SADD National office, is introducing a resolution honoring SADD for our 30th anniversary. He's being joined by many co-sponsors - but we want more!
We've created a simple guide for you to identify your Representative and tips for how to reach out and ask them to co-sponsor the resolution. Congressman McGovern created a "Dear Colleague" letter which was sent to all House members, but generally Representatives want to hear from folks in their district before signing on. Can you take five minutes by Friday to help with this? We'd really appreciate it! If a member of Congress agrees to sign on as a co-sponsor, please email fieldservices@sadd.org to let us know.
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| SADD National Conference Update
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 We know you're anxiously awaiting news about the 2012 SADD National Conference. We're working hard to finalize an agreement with our hotel and our offsite trip destination, and we need to do both of those before we can announce pricing and further details. We can tell you that the conference will be in the Los Angeles area June 24-27, 2012, and we encourage you to start your fundraising now. You can find some fundraising ideas on our website. Stay tuned for more information - coming soon! |
| Chapter Toolbox - SADD's 30th is Nov. 30!
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 Each month, a member of the SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC) will write a column designed to help chapters with activity ideas, meeting suggestions, and more. Hey everybody! My name is Michael Brown, a member of the SLC. I'm a senior at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, and I plan to attend Marshall University in West Virginia next year.
Thirty years ago, SADD was just getting off the ground. That's right, it's SADD's 30th Birthday, and we're celebrating on November 30. That's three decades of teens helping teens make better decisions. It's truly amazing that SADD is still going strong all these years later. I don't know about you, but on my birthday, I like to celebrate! Your SADD chapter can do the same thing on November 30. You can ask your mayor, county commissioners, or other local elected officials to issue a proclamation to recognize SADD's birthday, hold a lantern ceremony as a school or community event, create a Chain of Life, or whatever else you feel like! And the party doesn't stop November 30 - there's a full year's worth of activities for your chapter to choose from. I like getting birthday cards with money inside - who doesn't? SADD is there for you, and now you can become a "Friend of SADD" and return the support. Ask families of SADD students to become a Friend by each donating $30 to celebrate 30 years of SADD making a difference, and we'll send each Friend an awesome SADD car sticker! SADD has meant so much to me in my life, and I know it's the same for you. We're looking for your stories! Send an email to info@sadd.org with "My Story" in the subject line and tell us how SADD has changed YOUR life. I hope you have a lot of fun in your celebrations! |
| Contests, Grants, and Awards |
 The Act Out Loud contest is back for 2012! SADD chapters won the grand prize of $10,000 in 2009 and 2011, and we're hoping for more success this coming year. For 2012 the contest has changed significantly, with three separate challenges offering the chance to win points toward the grand prize. Registration is open right now and you can start working on these three challenges! The first challenge accepts entries from February 13-17. Create a t-shirt design around the issue of preventing the use of communication devices while driving. Judges pick the top 25 teams, each of which will receive points towards the grand prize, and the winner gets 500 t-shirts printed with their team's creative design. Next up, from March 5-16, create and display a sign or billboard with a message about your state's passenger restrictions for teen drivers. Again, the top 25 teams receive points towards the grand prize. All teams that complete the first two challenges receive a free toolkit to help promote National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May. Finally, from April 2 - May 6, get as many students as possible to add a special Facebook application to their profiles. Points from all three rounds are totaled, and the grand prize of $10,000 goes to the winner. While the registration deadline is January 13, 2012, you can and should register now and start working on these challenges! Make sure you put "SADD" in the "National Organization Your Team Represents" field. To learn more, visit actoutloud.org.  Toyota has partnered with Discovery Education to offer the $20,000 Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge! Submit a two-minute video showing what you would do to make teens safer drivers. Enter by February 16, 2012 for a chance to win. Ten finalists will be selected and online voting will determine the grand prize winner in May. For more information, click here. The Toyota Teen Driver site also has great resources - games, activities, tips for teachers, and more. |
| Programs and Resources
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The application process for the 2012-2013 SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC) is underway now! Current juniors and seniors in high school are eligible for the SLC. The first step is to learn if you have a State Coordinator in your state, and if so, contact him or her to determine if there is a statewide process to designate a single nominee from the state. If you're in a state without a coordinator or your coordinator doesn't have a statewide process, you may request an application by emailing Travis Helmondollar at thelmondollar@sadd.org. Please note that a SADD chapter may nominate only one student and a maximum of one student will be chosen from any given state. Applications are due January 13, 2012.  SADD is working with the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promote their new Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks. campaign on teen distracted driving. The stoptextsstopwrecks.org website has compelling videos, facts and research, and asks you to share YOUR ideas for stopping teen texting while driving. Be sure to like their Facebook page, too!  The Meth Project is known for its gritty, hard-hitting television ads directed by some of Hollywood's most noted directors. Now you can find videos, interactive fact presentations, personal stories, and answers to commonly-asked questions about the social, mental, and physical effects of meth from experts at the new methproject.org website. Check it out today!  The National Association of School Nurses has partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky on their teen prescription drug abuse program, called Smart Moves, Smart Choices. They've introduced a new toolkit for schools that includes lesson plans, videos, posters, stickers, a parent information sheet, and more - and even better, it's FREE to schools! The smartmovessmartchoices.org website is packed with other useful resources as well.  Our friends at NOYS have introduced a new Teen Distracted Driving Community Engagement Guide. The guide contains a variety of project plans to address the problem of distracted driving, including advocacy campaigns, community events, and more. You can view the guide online, or you can request a free hard copy on the NOYS.org website. |
| Chapter Spotlight - Westerly High School
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In the Spotlight this month is Westerly High School SADD from Westerly, Rhode Island.
Westerly SADD is a true success story, experiencing rapid growth and planning successful events in their school and community. Westerly SADD had just a handful of members when it began a few years ago. But steady growth turned into a surge this year, as membership exploded to 70 students, with further growth as students turn out for events and get engaged with the chapter.
The chapter runs regular events to keep members engaged - from fundraising bake sales to a series of activities during Red Ribbon Week. One recent success was Game Night. The chapter began offering alternative activities some time ago, bringing students together for board games in the library. A recent Game Night featured karaoke and Wii games and drew nearly 100 students, forcing a move to the school cafeteria.
Monthly meetings have become weekly, meetings have moved from a classroom to the school auditorium, and the chapter is busy planning many more events and activities for their school, such as working with their middle school on the Great American Smokeout this month. SADD Advisor Jessica Spencer credits student founder Michael Genese and current chapter president Charlotte Peck for helping the group grow and become a powerhouse in their school.
Congratulations to Westerly SADD for their efforts. We hope your SADD chapter is enjoying similar successes! 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. Material from the Westerly Sun was used in this report.
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| SADD Speaker Series |  In this season of giving thanks, consider hosting the SADD Speaker Series, featuring Stephen Wallace, Senior Advisor for Policy, Research, and Education at SADD. One of his most popular motivational presentations is Family Focus, which brings teens and their parents together for a 50-minute evening assembly followed by audience questions. This presentation can really help open up communication between parents and teens.
Stephen offers concrete guidance and practical solutions based on his three decades of experience working as a school psychologist, camp director, and college professor. His life's mission is to help teens make safe, healthy choices and motivate adults to be a more positive force in children's lives, and he has been honored by the White House and the American Camp Association for his dedication and efforts.
Stephen's book, Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex--What Parents Don't Know and Teens Aren't Telling, makes a great holiday gift and selling books at your school or community event can be an effective fundraiser. Stephen will personally autograph copies following his presentation.
For more information about bringing Family Focus to your school, click here. Book Stephen and you'll receive a complimentary copy of Reality Gap for your school's media resource center! |
| New Gear Arriving at the SADD Store!
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Whatever the temperature where you live, you'll love the SADD Dolman top (pictured at right) for ladies or the full-zip unisex sweatshirt. The fabric on both items is lightweight and super-soft, and the price is right, too! Members of the our SLC are generating new product ideas regularly - like the cool new sweatpants and winter ear warmers - check back often for the latest product additions. We've been thrilled with all the positive feedback about the SADD Store's customer support and creative services. Don't forget to share your product reviews online and participate in poll questions; your ideas are being heard and your enthusiasm is contagious! To hear about all the latest specials and new items, be sure to like the SADD Store Facebook page. It's easy to start your own SADD Store account or one for your chapter or school. Just visit saddstore.org and get your holiday shopping underway! |
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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 |
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