Welcome to the final issue of The SADDvocate for the 2014-15 school year! Some schools have already released students for the summer, while others are beginning to wrap up. How is your SADD chapter finishing up the year? 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. |
 | We're Taking a Break!
|  Just as schools take a summer break, so do we. The next issue of The SADDvocate will be sent in early September, and there won't be issues in July or August.
No, we won't be practicing yoga poses on the deck of a cruise ship - we're busily preparing for our national conference in Nashville later this month, SADD SPEAKs in July, and a momentous start to the new school year with lots of exciting new programs, technology, and more - so the SADD National office will remain open throughout the summer and we'll be working away.
If your chapter does any work over the summer, you might consider our Think About It ... Summer Waves: The Power of Communication campaign, which you can download for free here. We hope you enjoy your summer break!
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| SADD National Conference
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 It's not too late! There's still time to register for the 2015 SADD National Conference: Blast Off To Your Future, which will be held June 28 - July 1 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. If you haven't registered yet, don't worry - there's still time to join us for this incredible experience! At conference, you'll experience dynamic keynote speakers, skill-building workshops, great networking opportunities, and lots of fun! Add the optional off-site trip to the famous Wildhorse Saloon, and you'll enjoy dinner and line-dancing lessons on a private, alcohol-free floor. Don't miss this incredible opportunity, which attendees have described as critical to their chapter's success. Need help fundraising for conference? Use our Conference Fundraising Toolkit for ideas and step-by-step instructions! Are you ready to register or learn more about conference? Click here for more information. |
| SADD Store - Last Chance Items!
| Around this time of year, we sometimes get panicked phone calls from chapters. They've received a grant and the funds will expire if they're not spent before the end of the school or fiscal year. If your chapter is in that situation - or you simply have unspent funds you raised this year - why not plan ahead for the fall by shopping at the SADD Store? If your grant requires you to purchase only items made in the USA, we've got you covered - you can easily search through those on the site, and there is a wide selection.
 Right now there's a huge sale on Last Chance Items - these items are discounted, and once sold will not be re-stocked. There's a wide variety of items available, like the tie-dye t-shirt pictured. Don't miss your chance to buy these items at a discount before they're gone for good! Click here to see all the Last Chance items.
To order, visit saddstore.org, call 1-888-608-6988, or email sadd@apisource.com. Make sure you like the SADD Store Facebook page for all the latest deals and specials!
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| Contests, Grants, and Awards
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 We're pleased to announce the winners of our Best of SADD National Awards program for 2015! We received many compelling nominations, and the judges had a hard time choosing from among them. Here are the richly-deserved prize winners: |
Activity of the Year
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Advisor of the Year
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Chapter of the Year
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1st Place
MOST Social Norming Program
Vista Grande High School SADD
Casa Grande, AZ
| 1st Place
Joanne Read
Eleanor Roosevelt High School SADD
Greenbelt, MD
| 1st Place
Wyoming County SADD
Rock View, WV
| 2nd Place
Country Concert for a Cause
Easthampton High School SADD
Easthampton, MA
| 2nd Place
Genevieve Corrales
Sayreville War Memorial High School SADD
Parlin, NJ
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2nd Place
Westlake High School SADD
Westlake, OH
| 3rd Place
Be a Friend
Stuarts Draft High School SADD
Stuarts Draft, VA
| 3rd Place
Jamie Plecker
Heritage High School SADD
Newport News, VA
| 3rd Place
Edison High School SADD
Edison, NJ
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 Our friends at NOYS are now accepting applications for the 2015 Teen Safe Driving Summit Youth Leadership Teams. Teams of two teens and one advisor will be chosen to receive a free trip to Washington, DC in October for three days of training, and return home to put on a teen safe driving event in their school in May of 2016. Numerous SADD chapters have been chosen in previous years - we profiled two of the SADD teams selected last year in last month's SADDvocate - and we're hoping lots of you will apply this year as well! For more information and the application, click here. Don't wait too long - applications are due by June 30. |
| Spotlight on SADD Chapters
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This monthly column highlights the impressive work chapters are doing across the country. Special thanks to the many chapters that submitted information about their activities for inclusion in The SADDvocate over the course of the school year. You're doing fantastic work!  J.P. Knapp Early College High School SADD from Currituck, North Carolina, decided to address self-esteem, bullying, and other issues among their female population by holding a special girls-only one-day conference in conjunction with nearby Currituck High School. Called the " Amore Conference," the event focused on encouraging the girls to have love and compassion for themselves and others. Keynote speakers focused on creating understanding, kindness, and support for others, as well as leadership and self-confidence - with a "Do What You Love" theme. The event also included self-defense classes, yoga, creative art, and dancing.  Chenango Valley High School SADD from Binghamton, New York, and Windsor High School SADD from Windsor, New York paired up with local businesses Don's Automotive Mall and Gary's U-Pull It for an incredible giveaway designed to keep students safe. Students who attended the alcohol-free post-prom party at each school were entered into a raffle, with the winner receiving... a car! These big prizes provided significant incentive for teens to attend the parties instead of consuming alcohol and putting themselves at risk. Special thanks to the generosity of these local businesses and their desire to keep teens safe. Congratulations to these chapters - and to all of you all across the country working hard every day to make a difference in your schools and communities! Material from local newspapers was used to prepare a portion of this report. Click photos for original articles, if applicable.
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