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Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)


MINDLESS DRIVING
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DCH Auto Group Host Golf Tournament to Benefit SADD

DCH Auto Group recently held its 2010 West Coast Golf Tournament at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California.  The event raised $21,329 to benefit SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).

In 2008, DCH Auto Group made a commitment to teen safe driving and launched "Mindless Driving.  Keep It Out of Cars."  The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness and challenge teen perceptions of the dangers faced on the road.  DCH also selected SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) as its non-profit partner for this initiative.

"One cornerstone of DCH Auto Group's support of SADD is its sponsorship of two students per school to attend the SADD National Conference," said Susan Scarola, President and CEO of DCH Auto Group.  "With the generous donations from those who attended the golf tournament, we can now sponsor additional students and faculty advisors from each school."

SADD National Conference participants attend motivational presentations, seminars, and activities aimed at exchanging new approaches and gathering ideas that they can share with their communities and develop into events for their local SADD chapters.  The conference also includes numerous workshops aimed at providing students and advisors with information about serious topics, such as underage drinking, teen violence and suicide, advocacy, driving safety, diversity, and bullying.

Student Shawn Alavi , Vice President of the Newbury Park High School SADD Chapter, said, "it was thanks to DCH that I was able to attend the SADD National Conference last year."  He added that the conference helped him to really learn about SADD, the dangers teens face with destructive decisions and embrace sobriety.
"Raising money at this event so that more teens can attend our national conference is another example of how tremendous a supporter DCH Auto Group has been of SADD," said Penny Wells, Executive Director of SADD.
Founded in 1981 as Students Against Drunk Driving, SADD is the largest student-run organization empowering young people to lead education and prevention initiatives in their schools and communities.  SADD's approach involves young people delivering messages to their peers through student run activities. 
"Through our teen safe driving program and our sponsorship of SADD, we know we can help the young people of our communities stay safe and make positive decisions," said Shau-wai Lam, Chairman of DCH Auto Group.  "With the help of our munificent patrons at the golf outing, we are able to have that much more of an impact."





SADD Fund Raiser for Beckman High


In support of the national Teen Safe Driving Month, the  SADD Chapter at Beckman High Scholl  held a cars wash fundraiser  at the parking lot of DCH Tustin Acura on Oct 10. Members of the Cheerleading Club also showed up in full force to help the event..

 

A stream of cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs began to crowd the driveway by 11 am and it was non-stop until the event lasted at 2:30. Robb Evans, one of the parents attending this event, said, "This is a fun and worthwhile event. I have never heard of SADD before this. I certainly feel how important it is for the students to realize safe driving is a responsible behavior for them. We really appreciate that DCH Tustin Acura is sponsoring this." This sentiment was echoed by many of the parents and school faculty members alike.

 

 

 "Both the students and the adult volunteers did a great job! I am very impressed with the amount of efforts they put in and the quality of carwash they did", stated Rochelle Shirkhanbaigi, the event coordinator from Tustin Acura. " This was a great community event, all for a great cause", added Mr. Fresch, the faulty advisor of both clubs for BHS, who promised more activities to come to promote the teen safe driving at the school.

 

More photos and video will be posted to: www.myacuracommunity.ning.com

 

 

Prior Events...

The Event Was:   SADD CONVENTION IN WASHINGTON, DC ! 
Date held:               July 11, 2009 to July 15th, 2009      

Beckman High School and Tustin High School Students Meet in D.C. With Legislators about the Safety of Teen Drivers

Washington, D.C. - Student leaders from the Beckman High School and Tustin High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapters met with members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate recently to discuss teen issues that affect teens ranging from the legal drinking age, to bullying in schools and traffic safety issues.
The legislative visit was the conclusion of the four-day 2009 SADD National Conference, which brought together over 500 youth and adults in Washington, D.C., July 12-15 to share best practices in educating their peers and promoting positive decision-making.
As part of the SADD National Conference, youth leaders from area high schools attended workshops aimed at providing students with information about topics critical to youth health and safety, such as underage drinking, teen violence and suicide, driving safety, diversity, and bullying. They participated in motivational activities and presentations aimed at exchanging new approaches and gathering ideas that they can now share with the community and develop into events for their SADD chapter.
Under the sponsorship of DCH Tustina Acura, two SADD chapters were fromed at Beckman and Tustin High School this year. The student representatives - J.D. Swancoat , a sophomore at Beckman and Allesandra Sanchez, a senior at Tustin - along with their faculty advisor Kevin Trevithick, a teacher at Tustin High and several students from other high schools, were among the California contingency to this year's event.
A special focus of this year's conference was youth advocacy, and students learned about public policy and working with legislators to accomplish their goals. The conference is held in a different city each year to afford young people a new cultural experience. In Washington, D.C., this year, students were provided an opportunity to participant in a rally on Capitol Hill to promote youth health and safety issues.
The students were also given the opportunity to meet with their representatives to voice their concerns and ask for support for several pending and new legislative items aimed to protect teen lives. Representing the schools were
"We believe that it is the responsibility of our legislators to take action now to help protect the lives of the young people of our state and our nation" said Swancoat. "Too many avoidable tragedies occur too often and action is needed now."
These students advocated for more funding to be directed to teen safety and awareness while driving in the next Highway Bill. They also asked for consideration from Congressman Campbell and Senator Boxer to sponsor two bills. The first bill aims to prevent the legal drinking age from being reduced to 18. Of concern are the obvious risks that alcohol presents while driving, as well as the impact that alcohol can have on a young adult's brain. The second piece of legislation is a mandate for schools to have a bullying policy in effect or risk losing federal funding.
"SADD students from our school are dedicated to helping our peers make safe, positive decisions," said Sanchez, President of the Tustin High School SADD Chapter. "It was exciting to meet with other youth who share the same mission. We have learned a lot from each other."
Other activities co-sponsored by DCH Tustin Acura and its high school SADD chapters include Defensive Driving Traing Courses held at the Toyota's Torrance campus this summer. The students who have just recently got their permits or driver's licenses had an opportunity to sit behind the wheels with a professional trainer to learn about the dos and don'ts of driving. Several functions are being planned in the coming semester for SADD, according to Swancoat and Sanchez. " We are really excited about this progrom, thanks to DCH Tustin Acura for giving us this opportunity. We are now going to have real competition between the two schools to see who is going to have highest membership in the coming year. We hope that more students could go to the SADD annual event next year. So we are going to work hard in our funraisers".

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Keep checking for more updates or changes as we receive them we will post them!
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DCH TUSTIN ACURA S.A.D.D. FUNDRAISER SUPPORTS STUDENT TEEN SAFE DRIVING CAMPAIGN



TUSTIN, Calif. (May 4, 2009) -- The fundraiser for Tustin High School's SADD Chapter last Saturday was a rousing success. Supporters from the school and local community jammed the parking lot of DCH Tustin Acura and witnessed a group of 20 students and adults up to their elbows in the soap and water, using their towels and washcloths to wash the steady stream of cars of people who came to support the cause. The vehicles did not stop coming in from the opening bell at 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Only recently formed, Tustin High School's SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Chapter now has 27 members who are dedicated to the cause of safe teen driving. Knowing that auto accidents are the number cause of the teen death, these sensitive and conscientious students have all signed a pledge to drive safely and are committed to bringing this message to the fellow students. In this first fundraising event, they not only worked hard washing cars, but also set up a stand to sell hot dogs, drinks, and t-shirts to raise funds to send their representatives to Washington, DC, for the National SADD Convention this July. 

"This is the first time we've done this, it's been a lot of work, but it's for a good cause and we are having fun," said Mr. Kevin Trevithick, the Tustin High School faculty advisor.  "We appreciate DCH Tustin Acura supporting our efforts all the way."

It was a site to see. Two rows of cars lined up all the way to the street, as the students swung signs, soaked towels and washed cars. Many employees of Tustin Acura joined the fun, helping direct the traffic and moving cars. The dealership also solicited its own customers to participate in the campaign by donating money to this cause. It also arranged to have the popular rock station KLOS set up a booth on site to keep everyone entertained and enthusiastic. At the end of the event, KLOS held a drawing, giving away tickets, t-shirts and CD's to the thrilled students and others at the dealership.

"Tustin High School jumped into this program head first and amazed us," stated Dick Hsu, General Manager of Tustin Acura, which is the local sponsor for the Tustin High School SADD Chapter.  "It is wonderful to see so many students taking an interest in such a beneficial cause.  DCH Auto Group wants to give back to the community in a way that will have a significant impact on safe teen driving and we believe that SADD is the right cause. Whether driving or riding in a car, decisions made can be serious. Simple things like texting, playing with the radio, eating, or goofing with friends takes your eyes off the road.  Students tend to think they are invincible. SADD is not just about keeping students from drinking or drugs, it's about any decision made that can affect their life." 

This weekend carwash event is a part of a coordinated campaign of 'Mindless Driving, Keep It Out of Cars!' implemented by DCH across the nation. Most of all its affiliated dealerships on both coasts held similar events this weekend to create awareness of the importance in safe driving in the community their dealerships are located. More activities and events are being planned for this summer. For more information about upcoming events or how you can get involved, continue to visit  http://www.dchtustinacura.com/SADD.htm  or join our new social network at www.myacuracommunity.ning.com .

  


Ready to stop playing against the odds?

Here are eight things you can keep out of cars to really reduce your chances of a crash.

8 MINDLESS MOMENTS

  1  Duh (a.k.a. Not Wearing a Seat Belt)
  2  Telecommunication Time Bombs (a.k.a. Cell Phones)
  3  Driving Deaf (a.k.a. Loud Music)
  4  The Fast and the Laughably Stupid (a.k.a. Speeding & Aggressive Driving)
  5  Radio DJing (a.k.a. Radio DJing)
  6  Shut Up Back There (a.k.a. Distracting Passengers)
  7  Delayed Reaction (a.k.a. Drinking, Drugs, and Driving)
  8  I?m Too Good to Care (a.k.a. Sloppy Driving)


These eight factors are some of the leading causes of crashes and deaths for new drivers, and they?re all easily avoidable. Can you be expected to never carry a passenger or never listen to music in the car? Of course not. But you can limit distractions, and control elements like driving drunk or without a seat belt. Kids play with cars. You decide whether or not you?re an adult. Don?t drive mindless.