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It's Time to Update!
We ask ALL advisors to update their information every school year so we know your chapter is running this year and we have the most up-to-date contact information. SADD charges no dues or membership fees to our chapters - we only ask you to take two minutes each year to fill out our simple registration form. 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 yet 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! Some schools around the country are already graduating, so make sure to check out our special SADD graduation stoles and cords in the SADD Store article below. 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. |
 | SADD National Conference
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 The 2013 SADD National Conference: Decades of Change is approaching quickly, but there's still time to register! The conference will be held June 22-25 at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida - right next to Downtown Disney! At conference this year, you'll find some brand-new programming, including our new Speaker Showcase on Sunday, June 23. You'll have a chance to hear some nationally-known speakers as they share 20-minute versions of their presentations back-to-back-to-back. This is a great way to evaluate more speakers for possible future presentations at your school! We've also heard you agonize about which workshop sessions to attend, with all of them being offered just once - so this year you'll find more workshops presented multiple times so you have more chances to catch these dynamic, skill-building sessions. Your entire chapter isn't required to attend conference - you can bring just the officers or a small group. Some advisors have asked if they could come on their own if no students are available to attend - and the answer is a definite YES! Come check out the conference and find out what it's all about for your chapter, and earn professional development credits while you do! You could even combine a family vacation with conference. If you're ready to register or are looking for more information about conference, click here. Students tell us this is a life-changing experience - so don't miss it! |
| Contests, Grants, & Awards
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 Last chance to apply for a SADD National College Scholarship! The deadline to apply is May 15, so don't wait - submit your application now! We're handing out ten $500 scholarship awards to deserving SADD students. You must be a senior in high school committed to attend a two- or four-year college in the fall, and an active member in a registered SADD chapter. Check out the eligibility criteria and then download the application.
 A reminder that we're searching for outstanding activities, advisors, and chapters to honor with the Best of SADD National Awards. The awards recognize SADD efforts between April 2012 and April 2013. There are cash prizes for the winners and recognition at our national conference. So if you have a cool advisor, did an amazing activity, or think your chapter should be a role model for others, apply now! Nominations are due May 15. Click here for the details.  Bridgestone's Teens Drive Smart video contest is back again, with some HUGE prizes! Create a 25- or 55-second video safe driving PSA, and you could win the incredible grand prize - a $25,000 scholarship! The winning PSA will be aired on television stations nationwide. The deadline to enter is June 20, so start thinking about your idea now. You can see past winners, see the official rules, and more at teensdrivesmart.com. Make sure to check out SADD's Contests, Grants, and Awards page on our website regularly for deadlines, links, and more. Your chapter can earn big money! |
| SADD Store - Graduation Stoles & Cords
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With graduation near, now is the time to start thinking about how to show your SADD pride during the ceremony. Thanks to the SADD Store, you have a number of options! You can don the red SADD stole pictured, or choose SADD cords or tassels to complete your cap-and-gown attire. These items make perfect gifts for outgoing chapter officers or other seniors, and they're in stock and available now!
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| Spotlight on SADD Chapters
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With prom happening around the country, SADD chapters everywhere were in full swing over the last month, with more mock crashes, presentations, and other activities. We wish we had room to highlight all the great things happening across the country, but here are just a few samples.
 In Rome, Georgia, 13 stores were recently cited for selling alcohol to teens. Pepperell High School SADD in neighboring Lindale took action, working with local law enforcement to implement SADD's 21 or Bust campaign. They reached out to stores that sold alcohol, and got an amazing 25 of them to agree to join the campaign, pledging not to sell alcohol to teens, check IDs of all people who appeared to be younger than 30, post campaign messages in the store, and train employees. SADD President Hope Boyd and Advisor Alana Ellenburg report that the campaign was a huge success, drawing media attention to this important issue. 21 or Bust is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with local law enforcement, and it's easy to implement. Everything you need is in a kit available from the SADD Store for just $75. Your law enforcement partners might even agree to purchase the kit for you! To check it out, click here.  Blue Ridge High School SADD from New Milford, Pennsylvania, had a unique pre-prom safety assembly. Working with District Attorney Jason Legg, they re-enacted portions of an actual criminal trial of a student charged in an impaired driving death. Expert testimony informed students of the effects of alcohol, and the victim's sister shared powerful words about the effect of the crash on her family.  Mingo Central High School SADD from Delbarton, West Virginia used the proceeds from a statewide seat belt contest to erect a sign at the exit of the school parking lot reminding drivers to buckle up. They dedicated the sign to the memory of a student killed in a crash last year, using a star to symbolize the single star seen in the sky during a candlelight vigil held in his memory shortly after the crash.  Bismarck High School SADD, from Bismarck, North Dakota, held an event asking students "What Do You Stand For?" Students had colorful feet cutouts, and wrote their messages on them, which were posted in the school cafeteria. Some responses included "I stand for making good choices" and "I stand for helping others." Congratulations to all these chapters for their efforts! 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 local newspapers was used to prepare this report. Click images for original articles.
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| SADD/Liberty Mutual Insurance Research
| Each year, SADD and Liberty Mutual Insurance conduct original research on teen driving behavior, and the most recent study has some disturbing results.
While teen impaired driving deaths have dropped substantially since SADD's founding in 1981, this study showed that 23% of teens admitted driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or prescription drugs. Even more worrisome, a stunning 75% of teens in the study said that marijuana either had no effect or actually improved their driving, and 40% said the same was true of alcohol. You can download an infographic of the study results by clicking here. Or read the full press release with findings here. |
| Programs and Resources
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 It's back! Smashed: Toxic Tales of Teens and Alcohol is once again available from the federal government. This compelling DVD from RADD and HBO Family was filmed at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, and focuses on the lasting effects of impaired driving collisions when the victims do not die. There are also useful classroom discussion materials available for download. The DVD was released in 2005 and has been reprinted twice before - and both times quickly was out of stock. We continue to get calls from chapters looking for the DVD, so if you want your FREE copy (shipping charges may apply), visit the SAMHSA Store today!  It's Global Youth Traffic Safety Month! This month, SADD chapters everywhere are focused on traffic safety issues - impaired and distracted driving and more! Some chapters are hosting safe driving rallies for GYTSM as part of the Act Out Loud contest - what is your chapter doing? Click here for more information and activity ideas.  If your chapter is looking for something to do related to distracted driving, check out AT&T's It Can Wait campaign. The itcanwait.com website features personal stories and student-created PSAs. You can also download resources for schools, including fact sheets, parent-teen contracts, event and activity ideas, and more. AT&T's The Last Text 10-minute documentary is compelling and can be shown in class using a laptop and projector. AT&T has also introduced a virtual distracted driving simulator (available at itcanwaitsimulator.org), which you can use at an event on a laptop or purchase an inexpensive wheel-and-pedals gaming kit online to make it more realistic.  Our friends at Do Something are also working on this issue - asking you to use the power of your thumbs to save your friends from texting while driving in the return of their Thumb Wars campaign. It's simple: sign up at DoSomething.org/thumbwars to receive a free pair of thumb socks in the mail. Pick a friend who texts while driving, and give them the socks in a surprising way to ask them to stop this dangerous behavior. Send in a picture of you and your friend wearing the thumb socks, and you could win a $5,000 scholarship! Register to get your thumb socks today!  May 12-18 is National Prevention Week. You can participate by taking the Prevention Pledge on Facebook, or download the Prevention Week Toolkit. Each day of the week has a different theme, from underage drinking to suicide prevention. Check it out today! |
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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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