Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), formerly Students Against Driving Drunk, is an organization whose aim is to prevent accidents from students taking potentially destructive decisions.
Mission
"SADD empowers and mobilizes students and adult allies to engage in positive change through leadership and smart decision-making."
Profile
SADD's approach involves young people presenting education and prevention messages to their peers through school and community activities. Projects include peer-led classes and forums, teen workshops, conferences and rallies, prevention education and leadership training, awareness-raising activities and legislative work.
History
SADD was founded by at
Wayland High School in
in 1981 by hockey coach Robert Anastas after a drunk driving incident took the lives of two of the school's hockey players. He and a group of 15 students developed the SADD concept and the Contract for Life. In 1982, SADD went national with offices founded throughout Massachusetts,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
, and
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
. In 1984,
Dear Abby and
Ann Landers
Ann Landers was a pen name created by '' Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated a ...
printed the Contract for Life, suggesting to all readers that they request a copy from SADD. The SADD National office was inundated with 8,000 requests per week for six weeks. Also that year, "Contract for Life: The SADD Story" aired on
CBS as a CBS Schoolbreak Special, and Carl Olson, the first SADD president at Wayland High School, was appointed by the Director of Health and Human Services as the only student to a three-year panel studying the alcoholism in America.
The following year, SADD offices were established in Germany and Guam. Also in 1985, SADD had its first presidential moment when
President Reagan met with SADD students of
River Dell High School in New Jersey.
In 1989, SADD offices were established in schools in the Soviet Union. Also that year, the SADD National Board of Directors voted to cease accepting contributions from the alcohol industry.
In 1990, The American College of Physicians awarded the Edward G. Loveland Memorial Award to SADD for its contributions to the health field.
In 1992, William Cullinane became Executive Director of SADD.
The following year, the SADD Board of Directors voted not to accept funds from the alcohol industry.
In 1995, SADD received a letter of commendation from
President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
. The next year,
Margaret Altstaetter, SADD Student of the Year 1995-1996, was invited to participate in the White House Leadership Conference on Youth, Drug Use and Violence.
In 2018, First Lady Melania Trump addressed the SADD National Conference. As part of her Be Best campaign, Mrs. Trump spoke on the importance of kindness, compassion, and positivity.
In 2019, SADD received a grant from the
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for $311,000. The grant was awarded to focus on educating the community on the dangers of impaired driving.
Chapters
A new name, Students Against Destructive Decisions, was adopted in 1997.
In 1999, three Student Leadership Council members, Lynsey Ross, Jereme McBride, and Carrie LeBlanc, were appointed to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Leadership Team.
SADD's Board of Directors appointed Penny Wells as its new President and Executive Director in 2000.
SADD launched its National Scholarship Program in 2002, awarding its first two scholarships the following year.
In 2004, Jacqueline Hackett, Executive Committee member of the 2003-2004 SADD National SLC, testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Education Reform at the hearing "Preventing Underage Drinking: What Works?".
In 2007, SADD attended a special White House event during which
President George W. Bush highlighted a decline in youth drug use from 2001 to 2007.
In 2008, SADD partnered with the White House's
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to raise awareness about the link between stress and drug use among teens and about prescription drug use.
By 2009, the SADDvocate, SADD's monthly e-newsletter for students and advisors, had reached more than 11,000 subscribers.
In 2010 SADD successfully lobbied for the introduction of the STARS (Students Taking Action for Road Safety) Act. In October, SADD received an international drug abuse prevention award from the Queen of Sweden. Also,
The Mentor International Foundation presented SADD with the 2010 Youth Initiative Award for "Mobilizing the Community: Youth Taking the Lead". SADD also took part in the
Oprah Winfrey led "No phone zone day".
References
External links
*
*
*
PEACE Guam: Underage Drinking and Alcohol Abuse
* {{cite web, url=http://dontdriveandtext.org/Statistics, title=Don't drive and text, access-date=2012-02-05, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228174757/http://dontdriveandtext.org/Statistics, archive-date=2012-02-28
Driving under the influence
Student organizations established in 1981
Temperance organizations in the United States
1981 establishments in Massachusetts