Welcome to another issue of The SADDvocate! SADD Shines Day and lots of winter weather resulted in us getting this newsletter out a bit late to you - look for the March issue in a few weeks. In February, SADD chapters everywhere were celebrating SADD Shines Day and also gearing up for a busy spring. Read on for highlights!  Have you registered your chapter this school year? ALL SADD chapters are asked to register once each school year so that we know your chapter is active and have the current advisor's contact information. Registration takes just two minutes, can be done online, is completely free - there are no dues or membership fees - and you'll receive a chapter certificate and free poster. So what are you waiting for? Join the thousands of chapters that have already registered this year by clicking here. All chapters that registered by February 5 should have received their certificates. If you didn't get yours, please email cegan@sadd.org. 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 Shines Day - Chapters Celebrate! | |
SADD Shines Day was held on Wednesday, February 5, and was a chance for SADD chapters every to celebrate the good work they do and show off their SADD pride to the community. Our news feeds lit up with activities from coast to coast. Here are a few highlights.
 A number of states issued proclamations or other recognition for SADD Shines Day. In Kansas, Kansas SADD State Coordinator Maria Torrez Anderson, her Kansas Student Leadership Council (SLC), SADD advisors and state police gathered with Governor Sam Brownback as he signed a proclamation declaring February 5 as SADD Shines Day across Kansas.
 Illinois SADD received a proclamation from Governor Pat Quinn for SADD Shines Day in Illinois. State Coordinator Robyn Block (right) is pictured with her state Student Advisory Board (SAB) and Karel Homrig, CEO of Prevention First (SADD's partner in Illinois).  Chapters were creative during SADD Shines Day, with many putting their own spin on the program. Mansfield Middle School SADD in Mansfield, Louisiana, held their event on a chilly (for Louisiana!) evening, but instead of using the homemade soda-bottle lanterns outlined in the SADD Shines Day resource kit, substituted Chinese-style paper lanterns. At the conclusion of their ceremony, they lit the lanterns and launched them aloft, creating a compelling visual display.  Century High School SADD in Bismarck, North Dakota, chose an interesting alternative to a typical SADD Shines Day event. In the midst of a frigid North Dakota winter, they played off the "Shine" element, and chose to have a "sunshine" Hawaiian-themed event, with leis, tropical decorations, and even a limbo contest! They brought a little sunshine and warmth to a dreary winter day and helped "spark" the school mood and morale. Weather was an issue for many SADD Shines Day events, with a major snowstorm forcing cancellations, including an event by Wayland High School SADD in Wayland, Massachusetts. Wayland High is where SADD was founded in 1981, and they had planned an event with some of the founding students from nearly 33 years ago.  Many schools simply re-scheduled their events, including in Garden City, Kansas, where SADD chapters from city middle schools celebrated a week later. City officials proclaimed SADD Shines Day, and after speakers talked about the importance of making good decisions, students, officials, teachers, and parents walked in a procession holding their handmade paper-bag lanterns, many of which had positive messaging on them. Thanks to all SADD chapters who helped spread the word about the good work that SADD students are involved in every day. We hope you had fun celebrating! SADD Shines Day will return in 2015. |
| Chapter Spotlight - Drug Facts Week |
This monthly column highlights the extraordinary work chapters are doing across the county. Want to see your chapter in the Spotlight? Send news and a good group photo to cegan@sadd.org.  The end of January brought National Drug Facts Week, sponsored by our friends at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). SADD chapters across the country participated in Drug Facts Chat Day, took the National Drug IQ Challenge, and held events to help shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse.  Bishop Ryan Catholic School SADD in Minot, North Dakota, held one of SADD's signature events. They brought in Dr. Vicki Michels, Director of Addiction Studies at Minot State University, who spoke to students and answered their questions about drug use. Click here to see TV coverage of their event.  Taunton High School SADD in Taunton, Massachusetts, was visited by Dr. Marisa Silveri, Director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health at McLean Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Silveri has been a friend of SADD, speaking at SADD conferences and for SADD chapters in the past, and students were engaged by her compelling presentation. For their event, Tartan High School SADD in Oakdale, Minnesota, brought in Dr. Ken Winters, Director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CASAR) at the University of Minnesota who spoke and addressed student questions.  Lathrop High School SADD in Fairbanks, Alaska, held an event where they welcomed Amy Bollaert, Coordinator of the Fairbanks Prevention Coalition, who presented and answered student questions. Click here to see TV coverage of their event. It was a busy couple of weeks for Lathrop SADD, as they also celebrated SADD Shines Day!  Of course, National Drug Facts Week wasn't the only thing happening last month. Maize High School SADD in Maize, Kansas focused on texting while driving. They shared facts with their peers about texting through morning announcements, asked students to sign pledges not to text while driving, and handed out giveaways to further promote their safety message. Their efforts culminated in a school assembly with speakers that included a former student severely injured in a highway crash that happened while he was reading a text. The chapter also installed donated "Don't Text And Drive" signs at the exits of the campus parking lots.
Congratulations to these chapters and all those working hard to make a difference this past month!
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| Contests, Grants, and Awards |  Last chance to sign up for the annual Act Out Loud contest, sponsored by National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)! Entries are due by March 1. Remember, just for signing up and holding a safe driving rally/event in April or May, your chapter can receive $600 and a toolkit filled with promotional giveaway items for your event - plus, you'll have a shot at the grand prize of $10,000! To register and learn more, visit actoutloud.org. Make sure you choose "SADD" in the "National Organization Your Team Represents" field!
 SADD is giving away seven $500 college scholarships to seniors in a registered high school SADD chapter who are committed to attend a two- or four-year college in the fall. Don't miss your chance at a scholarship! Click here to learn more. Applications are due April 18.
 Nominations are now available for the annual Best of SADD Awards. We'll recognize the Activity of the Year, Advisor of the Year, and Chapter of the Year at our national conference this summer. Awards come with a cash prize. We're looking for plenty of nominations this year! Nominations are due May 2. For more information and the nomination form, click here.
 The Foundation for Ashley's Dream memorializes Ashley Easterbrook, a high school student killed by a drunk driver five days before her high school graduation in 1997. They offer a contest with a scholarship prize for current high school seniors. Here's how it works: come up with an idea to reduce drunk driving in your community. Be creative, as there are no restrictions on the type of idea you can submit. Record a 2-3 minute video outlining your idea and submit it by March 31. If your video is chosen, you'll receive $1,000 to put your creative idea into action, and when you've completed your project, you'll receive a $2,000 college scholarship! For more information, visit ashleysdream.org.
 The Create Real Impact contest returns for a fifth year. Sponsored by our friends at Impact Teen Drivers, high school and college students can submit a video, essay, artwork, or music focused on solutions to reckless and distracted driving. Prizes of $1,500 are available in each category (video, essay, artwork, and music). Early registration begins February 21 and earns 50 extra votes, and there other ways to earn bonus votes through social media. All entries are due by April 18. To learn more, visit createrealimpact.com.
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| SADD National Conference |
 The 2014 SADD National Conference, Life is a Jungle: Join the Expedition, will be held June 22-25 at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner just outside Washington, DC. The early bird registration deadline is approaching, so don't miss out! You'll save $50 per person by registering by March 15. This simply means you provide a $100 deposit per person attending the conference. Full payment and even the names of those attending are not required up front - just the deposit and the number of adults and students attending. We're busily planning the conference, and our Call for Workshops is now available. If you're attending the conference, why not consider presenting a workshop? We welcome workshop applications from SADD chapters, non-profit and government agencies, other youth groups, and more. Click here to download the Call for Workshops to learn more. Students who have attended previous conferences say that it was a tremendous learning experience and really helped their chapter's effectiveness. We hope to see you there this summer! |
| Programs & Resources |
 March 19 is Kick Butts Day, an annual day to stand out, speak up, and seize control in the fight against Big Tobacco. Each year, tobacco kills 400,000 people - more than traffic crashes, alcohol, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides...combined! Your chapter can join the fight by hosting an event on March 19. The kickbuttsday.org website has plenty of activity ideas for you. Make sure you register your event so you can be counted as part of this national movement!  April 11-13 is Global Youth Service Day. The largest service event in the world, GYSD mobilizes young people in more than 135 countries across the planet to take on service projects to improve their communities. Your chapter can create your own project or join an existing one in partnership with other groups in your area. To learn more, visit gysd.org.
Our friends at NIDA are recruiting for their Teacher/Educator Advisors Group. This panel will meet via a one-hour webinar or conference call 3-4 times a year to provide feedback about NIDA for Teens efforts. Participants will receive $25 for each webinar attended. This is a perfect opportunity for SADD Advisors! If you're interested, please email NIDATAG@iqsolutions.com to request an application.  The nonprofit Animated Traffic Law Center has made their Rules of the Road, Mission: ImPIZZAble app completely free! This smartphone app is available through iTunes and Google Play and features a challenge to complete various tasks by answering questions about traffic laws in your state. This is a perfect tool to study up for your driver's license test, and even adults will find themselves challenged and learn new things. For more information, click here. |
| SADD Store - Get Dressed Up!
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 There are times when it's useful for you and members of your SADD chapter to dress a little more formally - for a presentation, business meeting, advocating with legislators, or other event. The SADD long-sleeve, button-down shirt is the answer. This high-quality shirt is made of 100% cotton, has a left-chest pocket, and features a beautifully-embroidered full-color SADD logo. Shirts come in men's varieties in black, white, or khaki, with a few remaining women's shirts. Right now all of these shirts are on sale, so pick yours up today! We're also discounting the remaining SADD Shines Day t-shirts, buttons, and pencils until March 6. While the national day is over, these fun, colorful items give you a chance to "shine" all year round! |
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