Students from Across the Country Unite to Spread Messages of Violence Prevention and Youth Safety

Oct. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Contact:  Patty O’Brien, Communications and Development Manager
Email: pobrien@nationalsave.org
Phone: 919-661-7800

RALEIGH, N.C. – Carleen Wray, executive director of the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), has announced that today, Wednesday, Oct. 20, SAVE members across the nation will recognize National SAVE Day, a national awareness day to voice positive choices and ways to prevent youth violence and increase youth safety. Youth in elementary, middle, high schools, colleges and community-based agencies work every day to empower, encourage, educate and engage themselves and others in preventing violence and promoting youth safety, while bringing awareness to the escalating issue of youth violence and teen driving fatalities in their schools and among their peers. National SAVE Day provides these students the opportunity to draw attention to these efforts.  

Deaths among youth continue to have a major impact on young people, parents, schools, law enforcement officials, and society as a whole.  Increasing awareness and providing educational opportunities is crucial in protecting our schools, youth and future.  
•   According to the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Office of Statistics and Programming, approximately 72 percent of all deaths among adolescents between the ages of ten and 24 are attributed to injuries from only four causes: motor vehicle crashes (30 percent), all other unintentional injuries (15 percent), homicide (15 percent) and suicide (12 percent). Highly associated with these injuries are adolescent behaviors such as physical fights, carrying weapons, making a suicide plan and not using seatbelts.
•   According to the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report, in 2009, 32 percent of high school students had been in a physical fight in the past 12 months, 18 percent had carried a weapon in the past 30 days, 11 percent had made a plan about how they would attempt suicide in the past 12 months, and 10 percent never or rarely wore a seat belt when riding in a car.
   
“SAVE’s vision is that schools and communities will be safer and more secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning as a result of students being actively involved in meaningful violence prevention and safety efforts,” said Wray. “As more students join SAVE chapters all across the country, we are moving closer to making our vision for youth a reality.”
   
“SAVE made me realize that students have a huge say in what goes on in our school, home and community,” said Casey Storey, chair of the National SAVE Youth Advisory Board. “We the students have the power to prevent violence and increase youth safety."  

To support SAVE chapter activities for America’s Safe Schools Week and National SAVE Day, the Allstate Foundation recently presented $275,000 to Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) for SAVE chapter teen safe driving and youth safety efforts. “This generous grant from The Allstate Foundation will assist students in finding real solutions to the issues of youth violence and teen safe driving that they face each day,” stated Carleen Wray, Executive Director of SAVE.  

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.