Save And The Allstate Foundation Sponsor Teen Safe Driving Activities In Wisconsin

Nov. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- Contact:  Patty O’Brien, Communications Mgr.
E-mail:  pobrien@nationalsave.org
Phone:  919-661-7800

Ellie Klooster, Allstate Media Relations
ellie.klooster@allstate.com
Phone:  (847) 667-8108                     

   
STUDENTS AGAINST VIOLENCE EVERYWHERE (SAVE) AND THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION SPONSOR TEEN SAFE DRIVING ACTIVITIES IN WISCONSIN
Mukwonago High School Participates

RALEIGH, N.C., (October 4, 2010) –– The Allstate Foundation presented a $10,000 grant to Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) to assist SAVE chapters in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin in their efforts to increase youth safety and promote teen safe driving.  This grant from the Allstate Foundation will support the SAVE program in schools and community agencies.  Teen safe driving awareness campaigns will be conducted during key times of the year including back-to-school, holidays, Teen Safe Driving Month (May), prom, and graduation.

In light of several fatal traffic accidents that have affected the students at Mukwonago High School, the student body will be especially receptive to the chapter's Teen Safe Driving efforts. The group will contact the local media to make the public aware of their efforts. They will also utilize homeroom and school awareness campaigns to bring about awareness of their efforts to the student body. Most importantly, the chapter will team with other groups to promote driving safety during May when students are going to prom and graduation.

With support from Allstate agents and employee volunteers, SAVE chapters will be able to provide leadership in their schools and communities to ensure that all students will be encouraged and empowered with healthy life skills while engaging in educational activities and opportunities to promote teen safe driving and youth safety.

SAVE is a peer-to-peer organization that focuses on the power of positive peer influences.  According to a recent Allstate Foundation survey, Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving 2009, peers are a major influence on teens – both positive and negative.  Some of the concerning statistics that SAVE chapters will address include:

•   Eighty-two percent of teens reported using cell phones while driving.
•   Nearly half (48 percent) of girls admit they are likely to speed more than 10 mph over the limit, versus 36 percent of boys.
•   Seventy-seven percent of teens admit they have felt unsafe with another teen's driving.

“This generous grant from The Allstate Foundation will assist students in finding real solutions to the issues of teen safe driving that they face each day,” stated SAVE’s executive director, Carleen Wray.  

Previous assistance from The Allstate Foundation has benefited SAVE schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, and Ohio.  

“By empowering teens to become smart driving activists in their schools and communities, we hope to reverse the staggering statistics,” said Bill McGrath, Regional Sales Leader for Allstate’s Midwest Region of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  “Through programs like SAVE, we seek to develop innovative, teen-informed approaches to raise awareness of the issue and ultimately, to help save lives and reduce injuries.”

About the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere:                SAVE started at West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, N.C. in 1989 following the tragic death of a student who was trying to break up a fight at an off-campus party.  Students met first to console each other, then as an organization to promote violence prevention and to work together to prevent future incidents from occurring.  SAVE provides education about the effects and consequences of violence and helps provide safe activities for students, parents and communities.  For more information on SAVE or starting a SAVE chapter, visit www.nationalsave.org, or contact SAVE at (866) 343-SAVE to receive free start-up materials and guidance.

About The Allstate Foundation:
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation .  Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment.  The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America's families achieve their American dream.

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Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), Inc. is a nonprofit organization striving to decrease violence in our schools and communities by promoting student involvement, education and service opportunities to provide safer environments for learning.