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Welcome to another issue of The SADDvocate!  The holidays can be a dangerous time on the roads, and many SADD chapters are holding holiday-themed safety activities this month.  What's your chapter doing?

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 networking pages are on the bar at left.

The holiday season is upon us, full of gift-giving and time spent with friends and family.  It's also a time when SADD chapters are busy with activities, typically focused on community service.  Here are just a few snapshots of what chapters are up to.

 

In the days before Thanksgiving, known for heavy travel, Battery Creek High School SADD in Beaufort, South Carolina, conducted their annual "Wake Up South Carolina" safety project.  Students offered weary drivers free coffee and other hot beverages at an interstate rest stop to help keep them alert on the roads.

 

 

Mount Sinai High School SADD in Mount Sinai, New York, held their second annual Turkey Trot 5K and Fun Run just after Thanksgiving.  Nearly 500 people took part, raising more than $5,000.  The money was donated to Holiday Magic, a group that supports area nonprofits with holiday needs for the homeless, veterans, and others.

 

Moving into December, Fox Creek Junior High School SADD and Mojave High School SADD in Bullhead City, Arizona, are promoting SADD's Lights on for Life program.  They're asking drivers to drive with their headlights on to indicate support for efforts to reduce impaired driving, and with the support of city leaders, have devoted the entire month to the program.  On Friday, December 14, they'll pass out Life Saver candies to drivers entering the school with their lights on to indicate support for the program.

 

Some chapters choose to hold SADD's Tree of Life activity in December.  Binghamton High School SADD in Binghamton, New York, is one example.  Their "Katie Titus Tree of Life" memorializes a student killed in a car crash.  The tree is decorated with white bulbs.  The activity calls for one bulb to be changed to red for every impaired driving fatality in the area during the holiday season. This is their 20th consecutive year, and, so far, they haven't ever needed to change a bulb!    

 

Other chapters use a tree for a different purpose.  Avon Middle School SADD in Avon, Ohio holds an annual event at which students are asked to "decorate" the tree with hats, gloves, and scarves that are then donated to a local charity which houses students during family crises.  This year, they have two trees - a competition between boys and girls at the school!  

 

Warsaw Community High School SADD in Warsaw, Indiana, took a different approach, decorating their tree with a red ribbon garland to symbolize good choices by students.  They combined this with SADD's Chain of Life activity, and decorated around the tree with their chains.  In their version, each link was created by an individual student with the name of a loved one written on it who cares about them, and then formed into a chain to represent the connection between the students and the community at large.

 

Those are just a few stories we either received from SADD advisors (send stories and a photo to us at fieldservices@sadd.org!) or spotted in press clippings recently (with photos from area newspapers).  Make sure to contact local press when your chapter participates in events like this so that you can spread the word about the good you're doing.  If possible, wear SADD-branded clothing or have SADD signs to appear in the photo - you can download high-resolution SADD logos by clicking here.   

 

Just as schools are closed for the holidays, so are we.  The SADD National office will be closed from December 24 through January 1, re-opening on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.  From all of us at the SADD National office and the SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC), we wish you a very happy and safe holiday season.    

You'll be SADDtastic this holiday season with this shatterproof SADD ornament.  With a white satin finish and the SADD logo printed on both sides, each ornament comes individually gift-boxed.  It's the perfect holiday gift - and even better, they're on sale for just $5 each plus shipping and handling.

You'll find lots of other great holiday gifts in the SADD Store.  A number of items are on sale this month, and you'll find great prices on other everyday items.  From hats and hoodies to giveaway and thank-you items, the SADD Store has everything you need!

Remember, buying from the SADD Store is an easy way to give back, as 15% of your purchase - at no cost to you - goes to SADD National to develop more programs and resources for chapter use.  To order, visit saddstore.org, call 1-888-608-6988, or email  sadd@apisource.com.  Make sure to "like" the SADD Store Facebook page to get all the latest deals and specials!

We're happy to announce that REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the 2013 SADD National Conference, Decades of Change, which will be held June 22-25, 2013, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida.  Are you ready to reserve your spot, or do you just want to learn more about the details of the conference?  Click here!

We hope you'll join us for this unforgettable experience - fantastic speakers, dynamic workshops, networking with other SADD chapters, and, of course, lots of fun! 

Need some help raising funds to attend?  We've created a template letter that you can customize and use to raise money from family, friends, and local businesses and charitable groups.  Click here to download it.  We hope to see you in Orlando!

Our friends at MADD asked us to remind you about their Power of You(th) Video Contest.  Create a video of up to one minute encouraging your peers to stay away from alcohol and never ride with an impaired driver, and you could win an iPad!  The deadline to enter is December 28.  Click here for more information.

The Project Yellow Light Scholarship video contest is back.  Here's how it works: create a 25 or 55 second video encouraging your peers to avoid distracted driving behaviors.  There are two separate categories - one for high school students, and one for college students.  The prizes are scholarships - $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third in each category.  The overall winning video will be turned into an Ad Council PSA distributed to television stations across the country.  The deadline to enter is April 1, 2013.  To learn more, visit projectyellowlight.com. 

 

More than 50 SADD chapters have already entered the Act Out Loud contest, which is back for another year.  If you haven't signed up yet, your chapter can still receive $850 - just for participating!  That's right - you don't need to win, just enter and complete the remaining steps, and you'll receive $850!  But that's true only for the first 350 groups to enter, and the maximum amount you can earn will drop to $700 after January 23, 2013.  So don't wait - visit actoutloud.org today to sign up.  Remember to put "SADD" in the "National Organization Your Team Represents" field!     

 

Our friends at YSA are calling on young people to help end childhood hunger with Sodexho Foundation Youth Grants.  Grants of $500 are available to U.S. youth ages 5-25, and the deadline to apply is January 31, 2013.  Apply by December 16, and YSA staff will review your application and provide you with feedback to make it even better, so you can resubmit by the end of January with a better chance of success!  Make sure you enter "SADD" in the "Partner Code" section of the application, and you'll receive preference during the grant review process.  Click here for project ideas and the application.   

 

We're frequently posting new contest and grant opportunities on our website contest page.  Just look for the big green dollar sign on the sadd.org homepage! 

President Obama recently proclaimed December to be National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.  While "impaired driving" of course includes driving under the influence of alcohol, special attention is paid this month to drugged driving, which is a growing problem as the use of marijuana increases across the country.

If your chapter wants to address this issue among teens, our partners at the Office of National Drug Control Policy have developed a Teen Drugged Driving Toolkit that contains facts, activity ideas, strategies for engaging the public in your efforts, and more.  Click here to download the toolkit.

There are lots of upcoming events at the beginning of next year.  Your chapter should start planning events and activities now, so you can get the new year off to a great start!

January 21 is the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.  What type of service project can you take on?  The mlkday.gov website is full of great suggestions, from running a school supply drive to writing letters to troops overseas.  You can also check out our SADD Serves: Youth Giving Back toolkit for ideas by clicking here.


No Name-Calling Week takes place from January 21-25.  Students are encouraged to take on the issue of name-calling as part of a bullying prevention effort.  On the nonamecallingweek.org website, you'll find lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high schools and a complete toolkit to explain the week to parents and students.

We hope you're preparing for National Drug Facts Week, nowheld January 28 - February 3, 2013.  Sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Drug Facts Week encourages teens to get factual answers from scientific experts about drugs and drug abuse through an assortment of events and activities - online, on TV, via contests, and in schools and communities.  With the truth about drug use, teens can make better, smarter, and safer decisions, which can save their lives.

We encourage your chapter to organize an event or activity that will raise awareness.  NIDA provides FREE materials and resources that can make your event fun and educational, including kits and lesson plans with 30 hard copies of booklets and other educational materials.  Click here to see all the resources available.

Ready to commit to doing something during National Drug Facts Week?  Make sure to register your event.  It's easy and connects you with NIDA staff who can offer advice on how to hold a successful event.  Your chapter will be added to the Events Map, joining hundreds of others around the country who are planning similar events and activities.  We hope to see lots of SADD chapters listed!

It's also not too early to begin thinking about Kick Butts Day, a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up, and seize control against Big Tobacco.  Kick Butts Day is March 20, 2013, so we're just about 100 days away!  Long before the day arrives, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will have handed out all their mini-grants and "events in a box," so start planning now to apply for those resources!

On Kick Butts Day, teachers, youth leaders, and health advocates organize events to:

• Raise awareness of the problem of tobacco use in their state or community
• Encourage youth to reject the tobacco industry's deceptive marketing practices and stay tobacco-free
• Urge elected officials to take action to protect kids from tobacco

Check out the brand-new activities database (which will be updated throughout the next few months), or apply for a mini-grant or an event in a box.  Questions?  Contact kbdinfo@kickbuttsday.org.  We hope lots of SADD chapters will participate this year!    

 

On the topic of tobacco, the federal government just introduced a new website, BeTobaccoFree.gov.  Check it out, along with the companion SmokeFree Teen website as well.

 

That's a lot of resources!  We hope your chapter will start planning now to take advantage of some or all of these options. 

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!