A high school in Pennsylvania has made the news for the prom favors chosen by the students. Seems the students all received a shot glass as a take-home souvenir from prom. Parents were upset that the glasses promoted alcohol consumption and were being distributed to minors. The principal (who signed the invoice for the favors) didn't realize what he was signing (or so he said), thinking it was just party favors.
First off, this is nothing new, even if it was on the national news. For the last 17 years, I've had a beer mug sitting in my cabinet that advertises one of my proms. But, did that glass promote alcohol consumption by my underaged classmates and I?
Frankly, we didn't need much promotion. The glass was much more a sign of the times rather than a prom favor. But did it send the wrong message? That's a tough question to answer.
Will we ever be able to eliminate underage drinking? Very doubtful. After all, where there's a will, there's a way. It's doubtful we'll ever be able to squelch the teenage desire to drink alcohol. It is, after all, something adults do and kids aren't allowed. (ADD story: I have a theory we should ban all books. Why? Because it'll make kids want to read! I volunteer MY book to be the first on the list to be banned! Simply put, it's human nature to want what we are not allowed.)
So, will we be able to stop the desire? No, but we can stop some of the culture around drinking. Flip through any catalog of prom favors and you'll quickly see it's not just beer mugs and shot glasses. Hurricane glasses, wine goblets, champagne flutes, scotch glasses, pilsners – if you can serve alcohol in it, you can get it emblazoned with your school's prom theme.
Simply put, I think it's shameful that companies sell this stuff. Will it directly cause minors to drink? Probably not. Does it help create the unnecessary link between celebration and alcohol consumption? Certainly. And does it give students paraphernalia they'll then display on their keepsake shelf at home, immediately recognizable as a device used to consume alcohol? Definitely.
And let's cut the crap...sure, you can drink water out of a wine glass, but no one does. And people don't get served Mountain Dew in beer mugs. And a shot glass is good for absolutely nothing except liquor.
Principal's part in this? Yeah, he/she holds some blame. As tight as school budgets are, as famous as teens are for trying to get away with pranks and jokes and all around mayhem, don't you think it'd be smart to take a little looky see before you sign your name on the dotted line?
Who wins in this situation? The parents. They've made their wishes known – they want their children to be sober and alcohol free. With all the bad rap parents get for throwing keggers and overnights for drunken minors, I was really glad to hear parents standing up for some safe actions of their kids.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Will Lowering The Drinking Age Make Us As Moderate As Europeans?
Before I got married two years ago, I read everything I could get my hands on that dealt with parenting-specifically, parenting teenagers. And even more particularly, teenage stepchildren. So, bopping along through my list of potential reads, I came across a title that made me smile, “Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy” by Dr. Michael Bradley.
Ordered it, read it, LOVED IT! Gave me so much insight into the mindset of my new teenage stepkids…and I was really ashamed to admit I’d forgotten what it was like to be a teen. But his book put me right back into the mindset, the insecurities and the oddities of teenage life. I’ve since recommended this book to dozens, maybe hundreds, of parents with teenagers (hey, it’s the least I can do, right?)
Tonight, Dr. Mike Bradley’s E newsletter popped up in my in box. Felt this is good blog food for Drunk Driving Speaker since, well, it’s all about teens and drinking.
Let it never again be said that Europeans know moderation and Americans do not. Here’s Dr. Bradley’s article:
Dr. Mike Bradley's e-Newsletter
"Lowering the Drinking Age Will Save Teen Lives"
The dad who said this was a member of my audience in a talk about the alcohol abuse tsunami that has swept over America’s teenagers. Like the hundreds of other parents (along with many college presidents) who have said the same thing to me over the years, he was thoroughly convinced that allowing teens to drink alcohol at younger ages would reduce this problem: “We should let American kids drink like they do in Europe---you know, where kids grow up using alcohol from a young age so that they learn how to drink responsibly. European kids don’t see booze as a ‘forbidden fruit’ so they aren’t as attracted to it as teens are here. I know because I grew up in Spain and saw kids drinking wine at age four. They would just sip it. Everyone knows that kids in Europe don’t abuse alcohol like American teens.”
First, a disclaimer: I’m a myth junkie. I fervently hope that “Nessie” (the Loch Ness Monster) truly exists. And no one would love it more than I if one day it is proven that space aliens have been visiting our planet. I love those myths. They give me a welcome relief from the tedium of the day, an exciting respite where I can believe that magic is possible, that there are simple answers to complex issues, and that the experts don’t know what they’re talking about. I hate it when scientists rain on my fantasy parades by telling me that the odds of anyone having ever been abducted by space aliens are about the same as the odds of being abducted by space---well, you know what I mean. So I very much sympathize with folks who believe that handing Coors to kids will cure this epidemic of dangerous teen drinking. If that worked, I’d be the first to buy my son a keg and share a few with him. But science tells me that that “life-saving” act could well kill him.
According to those party-pooper researchers at the National Institutes of Health teenagers who start drinking at age 14 have a five-hundred-percent increase in the odds of becoming an addict than kids who wait until age 21 to imbibe. Teen brains are apparently “soft,” much more prone to the addictive effects of substances such as alcohol. Adolescent gray matter seems to get whacked much more powerfully by booze than does adult brain tissue. And alcohol is associated with everything bad that happens to teens to include car crashes, school failures, arrests, sexual assaults, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and that worst of all parental nightmares, suicide.
So what about those European adolescents who can legally drink anywhere from birth to age 16, who are given alcohol at early ages, and who “everyone knows” are drinking responsibly? Well, I’m afraid that they must be off swimming with Nessie or teleporting to Mars since we can’t seem to locate them on Earth. In comparing adolescent drinking patterns (via the 21 nation European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs and the United States Monitoring the Future Survey), it becomes clear that American kids (ages 15-16) are pikers when it comes to the “boozing Olympics.” For example, while 39% of US teens admit to drinking in the past 30 days, they only tie for last place with Croatia. The adolescents in each of the other 20 European nations easily beat out the US with some nations doubling our “scores” of active teen drinkers (Greece and the UK tied at 74% with Denmark being the runaway “winner” at 81%). Well, you could argue, maybe those EU kids ar e drinking, but surely they’re drinking more responsibly, right? Wrong! US teens “lose” the party-‘til-you-puke event as well. While 24% of America’s kids binge drink, every other EU nation (except Portugal) handily beats us. Interestingly, Denmark again “wins” that binge drinking event with 61% of its teens regularly drinking themselves into oblivion. Clearly, providing kids with access to alcohol does not teach responsible drinking. It does teach life-threatening risk taking.
I love myths as much as you might but if you ever had to bet the ranch on Nessie surfacing or ET phoning home, would you bet for or against those events? Well, that same cold calculus must also hold true for the deadly myths about teen drinking. The brutal fact is that an astounding number of us parents promote adolescent alcohol madness by voluntarily providing this deadly substance to our kids based upon an insane belief in those killer myths. A third of drinking teens say that their parents hand them the booze. A fourth of our kids say that parents drink with them.
If we grownups all stop pushing this drug, will our teens stop drinking? No, but science also shows that our calm but firm opposition can limit the frequency and intensity of adolescent use. Few folks obey speed limits, but everyone knows that those silly signs and annoying tickets do limit our dangerous excesses. So when it comes time to bet the life of your child, avoid the loud “everyone knows” myths and instead trust the quiet science which yells, “Teenagers can’t drink.”
Dr. Mike Bradley
Dr. Bradley is available for speaking events on a variety of topics. Check out docmikebradley.com for more information and for excerpts from all of his books, including his latest release When Things Get Crazy with Your Teen: The Why, the How and What to Do NOW! (McGraw Hill, 2009).
Marcus Engel inspires audiences to achieve success - No Excuses!
www.MarcusEngel.com
Marcus@MarcusEngel.com
314-852-4494
Ordered it, read it, LOVED IT! Gave me so much insight into the mindset of my new teenage stepkids…and I was really ashamed to admit I’d forgotten what it was like to be a teen. But his book put me right back into the mindset, the insecurities and the oddities of teenage life. I’ve since recommended this book to dozens, maybe hundreds, of parents with teenagers (hey, it’s the least I can do, right?)
Tonight, Dr. Mike Bradley’s E newsletter popped up in my in box. Felt this is good blog food for Drunk Driving Speaker since, well, it’s all about teens and drinking.
Let it never again be said that Europeans know moderation and Americans do not. Here’s Dr. Bradley’s article:
Dr. Mike Bradley's e-Newsletter
"Lowering the Drinking Age Will Save Teen Lives"
The dad who said this was a member of my audience in a talk about the alcohol abuse tsunami that has swept over America’s teenagers. Like the hundreds of other parents (along with many college presidents) who have said the same thing to me over the years, he was thoroughly convinced that allowing teens to drink alcohol at younger ages would reduce this problem: “We should let American kids drink like they do in Europe---you know, where kids grow up using alcohol from a young age so that they learn how to drink responsibly. European kids don’t see booze as a ‘forbidden fruit’ so they aren’t as attracted to it as teens are here. I know because I grew up in Spain and saw kids drinking wine at age four. They would just sip it. Everyone knows that kids in Europe don’t abuse alcohol like American teens.”
First, a disclaimer: I’m a myth junkie. I fervently hope that “Nessie” (the Loch Ness Monster) truly exists. And no one would love it more than I if one day it is proven that space aliens have been visiting our planet. I love those myths. They give me a welcome relief from the tedium of the day, an exciting respite where I can believe that magic is possible, that there are simple answers to complex issues, and that the experts don’t know what they’re talking about. I hate it when scientists rain on my fantasy parades by telling me that the odds of anyone having ever been abducted by space aliens are about the same as the odds of being abducted by space---well, you know what I mean. So I very much sympathize with folks who believe that handing Coors to kids will cure this epidemic of dangerous teen drinking. If that worked, I’d be the first to buy my son a keg and share a few with him. But science tells me that that “life-saving” act could well kill him.
According to those party-pooper researchers at the National Institutes of Health teenagers who start drinking at age 14 have a five-hundred-percent increase in the odds of becoming an addict than kids who wait until age 21 to imbibe. Teen brains are apparently “soft,” much more prone to the addictive effects of substances such as alcohol. Adolescent gray matter seems to get whacked much more powerfully by booze than does adult brain tissue. And alcohol is associated with everything bad that happens to teens to include car crashes, school failures, arrests, sexual assaults, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and that worst of all parental nightmares, suicide.
So what about those European adolescents who can legally drink anywhere from birth to age 16, who are given alcohol at early ages, and who “everyone knows” are drinking responsibly? Well, I’m afraid that they must be off swimming with Nessie or teleporting to Mars since we can’t seem to locate them on Earth. In comparing adolescent drinking patterns (via the 21 nation European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs and the United States Monitoring the Future Survey), it becomes clear that American kids (ages 15-16) are pikers when it comes to the “boozing Olympics.” For example, while 39% of US teens admit to drinking in the past 30 days, they only tie for last place with Croatia. The adolescents in each of the other 20 European nations easily beat out the US with some nations doubling our “scores” of active teen drinkers (Greece and the UK tied at 74% with Denmark being the runaway “winner” at 81%). Well, you could argue, maybe those EU kids ar e drinking, but surely they’re drinking more responsibly, right? Wrong! US teens “lose” the party-‘til-you-puke event as well. While 24% of America’s kids binge drink, every other EU nation (except Portugal) handily beats us. Interestingly, Denmark again “wins” that binge drinking event with 61% of its teens regularly drinking themselves into oblivion. Clearly, providing kids with access to alcohol does not teach responsible drinking. It does teach life-threatening risk taking.
I love myths as much as you might but if you ever had to bet the ranch on Nessie surfacing or ET phoning home, would you bet for or against those events? Well, that same cold calculus must also hold true for the deadly myths about teen drinking. The brutal fact is that an astounding number of us parents promote adolescent alcohol madness by voluntarily providing this deadly substance to our kids based upon an insane belief in those killer myths. A third of drinking teens say that their parents hand them the booze. A fourth of our kids say that parents drink with them.
If we grownups all stop pushing this drug, will our teens stop drinking? No, but science also shows that our calm but firm opposition can limit the frequency and intensity of adolescent use. Few folks obey speed limits, but everyone knows that those silly signs and annoying tickets do limit our dangerous excesses. So when it comes time to bet the life of your child, avoid the loud “everyone knows” myths and instead trust the quiet science which yells, “Teenagers can’t drink.”
Dr. Mike Bradley
Dr. Bradley is available for speaking events on a variety of topics. Check out docmikebradley.com for more information and for excerpts from all of his books, including his latest release When Things Get Crazy with Your Teen: The Why, the How and What to Do NOW! (McGraw Hill, 2009).
Marcus Engel inspires audiences to achieve success - No Excuses!
www.MarcusEngel.com
Marcus@MarcusEngel.com
314-852-4494
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Disability and Drunk Driving: A New Concept for Community Service?
One of the coolest orgs I get to work with is the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), and one of the coolest people at AHEAD is Kim Probin. Often times, I’ll go to campuses for Disability Awareness Week or other disability programs, inspiring students with disabilities (and those without) to overcome their adversity, whatever their obstacles may be. This is usually separate from the alcohol awareness and DUI prevention programs I provide for college students.
But, thanks to Kim being such an innovative thinker, she recently managed to marry the two concepts together. I LOVE this idea and if there’s anyone who works in a non-for-profit who also has DUI offenders serving community service in their offices, please let me know and I’ll be happy to pass some books along to you. Who knows?! Kim may just be onto a new notion of impaired driving prevention! Here’s her note:
Hi Marcus!
The reason for this note is not about conference, exhibiting or anything like that. The purpose of this note is a couple of other things...
Last week, I received a phone call from a very nice girl named Annie. She is from Florida but now lives local here to the Charlotte, NC area. She was calling "non-profits" to see if she could find one willing to let her fulfill her obligation to do community service hours for the Department of Corrections. I was a little hesitant at first, but then found myself asking her some questions about her charges, how many hours she had to complete, etc. Annie went on to tell me that she was charged with a DUI last year when she was just 27 years old.
Maybe at one time, I wouldn’t have really thought about it too much. But, not this time... after all, I read YOUR story... now, there was a personal connection to this kind of thing for me. As we spoke on the phone about her charges, I found myself asking her if she had been in an accident, how they caught her, etc. Thankfully, she was not in an accident but she was caught speeding while intoxicated. She seemed to really focus on how much money this has cost her in fees, classes, fines, etc. I wanted to know though, did she REALLY learn the lesson in the "bigger picture?" During our entire conversation, my mind kept flashing back to your story. I kept thinking about how your life had changed and how I could make a difference so that this wouldn't happen to someone else.
Finally, I spoke with Stephan and we agreed... we would allow Annie to fulfill her community service hours with us. She said she would clean the office, file, run errands, and that sort of thing. But, I thought there was a better use of her time. My goal was to have her leave AHEAD with more than cleaning experience. I wanted her to learn something... REALLY learn something from what she had done.
Marcus, as I write this, Annie is sitting in another office with nothing to do but read your story. I want her to feel the impact of what could happen to someone's life because of a lack of judgment. I want her to realize that one moment is all it takes to change the entire course of someone's, as well as her own life forever.
I hope that you are okay with this and that you agree with the way I have decided to handle things with Annie. I know that you go and speak to large groups at schools and to special interest groups all over the country. But, I also want you to know that your story will be passed on even if it's one person at a time.
Thank you for being you!
Kim P.
But, thanks to Kim being such an innovative thinker, she recently managed to marry the two concepts together. I LOVE this idea and if there’s anyone who works in a non-for-profit who also has DUI offenders serving community service in their offices, please let me know and I’ll be happy to pass some books along to you. Who knows?! Kim may just be onto a new notion of impaired driving prevention! Here’s her note:
Hi Marcus!
The reason for this note is not about conference, exhibiting or anything like that. The purpose of this note is a couple of other things...
Last week, I received a phone call from a very nice girl named Annie. She is from Florida but now lives local here to the Charlotte, NC area. She was calling "non-profits" to see if she could find one willing to let her fulfill her obligation to do community service hours for the Department of Corrections. I was a little hesitant at first, but then found myself asking her some questions about her charges, how many hours she had to complete, etc. Annie went on to tell me that she was charged with a DUI last year when she was just 27 years old.
Maybe at one time, I wouldn’t have really thought about it too much. But, not this time... after all, I read YOUR story... now, there was a personal connection to this kind of thing for me. As we spoke on the phone about her charges, I found myself asking her if she had been in an accident, how they caught her, etc. Thankfully, she was not in an accident but she was caught speeding while intoxicated. She seemed to really focus on how much money this has cost her in fees, classes, fines, etc. I wanted to know though, did she REALLY learn the lesson in the "bigger picture?" During our entire conversation, my mind kept flashing back to your story. I kept thinking about how your life had changed and how I could make a difference so that this wouldn't happen to someone else.
Finally, I spoke with Stephan and we agreed... we would allow Annie to fulfill her community service hours with us. She said she would clean the office, file, run errands, and that sort of thing. But, I thought there was a better use of her time. My goal was to have her leave AHEAD with more than cleaning experience. I wanted her to learn something... REALLY learn something from what she had done.
Marcus, as I write this, Annie is sitting in another office with nothing to do but read your story. I want her to feel the impact of what could happen to someone's life because of a lack of judgment. I want her to realize that one moment is all it takes to change the entire course of someone's, as well as her own life forever.
I hope that you are okay with this and that you agree with the way I have decided to handle things with Annie. I know that you go and speak to large groups at schools and to special interest groups all over the country. But, I also want you to know that your story will be passed on even if it's one person at a time.
Thank you for being you!
Kim P.
MADD Florida and Marcus Engel Team Up!
MADD Florida Appoints New Vice Chair
Marcus Engel Accepts Leadership Role
TAMPA, Florida Noted author and motivational speaker, Marcus Engel, has accepted an appointment to the State Operating Council for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Florida. Marcus Engel’s message and MADD’s mission are a natural match,” said Don Murray, MADD Florida’s Executive Director. “His message of being blinded and catastrophically injured by a drunk driver, plus his journey of healing and recovery, are nothing short of extraordinary. We are thrilled to have someone of Marcus’ caliber joining our leadership team!”
On a cold autumn night during his freshman year of college, Marcus’ life was changed forever. A drunk driver, travelling at nearly twice the legal speed limit, struck the car in which Engel and other teenage friends were riding. Blind and facing hundreds of hours of reconstructive facial surgery, Marcus became one of the tens of thousands of Americans injured every year by intoxicated drivers.
Marcus had to endure more as a teenager than most of us will ever have to face in a lifetime,” said MADD Florida’s Council Chair, Mario Murgado. “We’re honored to partner with Marcus and we hope his experiences will help serve as another deterrent for Florida motorists.”
While still restricted to a hospital bed, a feeding tube and respirator, Marcus set his goal: return to college and recapture life. These goals sustained him through two years of medical recovery, a six-month stint at rehab school and one month training with a new Seeing Eye dog.
“This new position will allow me to give something back to MADD,” Engel said. “MADD gave my family so much support and advocacy following my crash. I want to use my resources, experiences and talents to support all of MADD’s missions, specifically the fight against impaired driving and underage drinking.”
Engel began speaking professionally during his senior year of college, sharing his inspirational message of prevention with audiences nationwide. His autobiography, After This… An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons has empowered tens of thousands of readers to realize their potential and to strive for personal excellence. His latest book The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for Excellent Patient Care” is an inspirational tribute to health care professionals, offering tips on treatment from the patient’s perspective.
For further information on MADD, visit www.MADD.org or www.WalkLikeMADD.org. For more information on Marcus Engel, visit www.MarcusEngel.com or call 314-852-4494.
Marcus Engel Accepts Leadership Role
TAMPA, Florida Noted author and motivational speaker, Marcus Engel, has accepted an appointment to the State Operating Council for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Florida. Marcus Engel’s message and MADD’s mission are a natural match,” said Don Murray, MADD Florida’s Executive Director. “His message of being blinded and catastrophically injured by a drunk driver, plus his journey of healing and recovery, are nothing short of extraordinary. We are thrilled to have someone of Marcus’ caliber joining our leadership team!”
On a cold autumn night during his freshman year of college, Marcus’ life was changed forever. A drunk driver, travelling at nearly twice the legal speed limit, struck the car in which Engel and other teenage friends were riding. Blind and facing hundreds of hours of reconstructive facial surgery, Marcus became one of the tens of thousands of Americans injured every year by intoxicated drivers.
Marcus had to endure more as a teenager than most of us will ever have to face in a lifetime,” said MADD Florida’s Council Chair, Mario Murgado. “We’re honored to partner with Marcus and we hope his experiences will help serve as another deterrent for Florida motorists.”
While still restricted to a hospital bed, a feeding tube and respirator, Marcus set his goal: return to college and recapture life. These goals sustained him through two years of medical recovery, a six-month stint at rehab school and one month training with a new Seeing Eye dog.
“This new position will allow me to give something back to MADD,” Engel said. “MADD gave my family so much support and advocacy following my crash. I want to use my resources, experiences and talents to support all of MADD’s missions, specifically the fight against impaired driving and underage drinking.”
Engel began speaking professionally during his senior year of college, sharing his inspirational message of prevention with audiences nationwide. His autobiography, After This… An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons has empowered tens of thousands of readers to realize their potential and to strive for personal excellence. His latest book The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for Excellent Patient Care” is an inspirational tribute to health care professionals, offering tips on treatment from the patient’s perspective.
For further information on MADD, visit www.MADD.org or www.WalkLikeMADD.org. For more information on Marcus Engel, visit www.MarcusEngel.com or call 314-852-4494.
Buckle Up, Floridians!
National Safety Council Praises Florida for New Primary Seat Belt Law
ITASCA, Ill., April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After years of work by traffic safety advocates, Florida is joining the majority of states that allow police to ticket drivers solely for failure to wear seat belts. The National Safety Council praises Florida legislators for voting to enact the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law, named for two young women killed in crashes while not wearing seat belts. The Florida House today voted to accept the proposal, 95-20. The Florida Senate also accepted it, 33-4, on April 28.
"The National Safety Council praises Florida, its dedicated state legislators and state leadership who helped achieve this truly significant goal. Florida is now poised to save hundreds of lives," said Janet Froetscher, NSC President & CEO. "Over the past 10 years the NSC and its Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign have worked hard with Florida to change the public mindset about seatbelts and safety. Today we share what must be a great level of pride in that state."
Currently, Florida law enforcement officers can not ticket someone older than
18 for not wearing a seat belt unless the person first commits another traffic offense. The new law will remove that requirement and impose a $30 fine for failing to buckle up. The new law will save an estimated 124 lives each year in Florida, prevent 1,700 serious injuries and save $408 million, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist is expected to sign the bill into law.
Florida will then join 26 other states and the District of Columbia in
allowing police to stop drivers for lack of seat belt use alone.
The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) saves lives by preventing
injuries and deaths at work, in homes, communities and on the roads,
through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
SOURCE National Safety Council
ITASCA, Ill., April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After years of work by traffic safety advocates, Florida is joining the majority of states that allow police to ticket drivers solely for failure to wear seat belts. The National Safety Council praises Florida legislators for voting to enact the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law, named for two young women killed in crashes while not wearing seat belts. The Florida House today voted to accept the proposal, 95-20. The Florida Senate also accepted it, 33-4, on April 28.
"The National Safety Council praises Florida, its dedicated state legislators and state leadership who helped achieve this truly significant goal. Florida is now poised to save hundreds of lives," said Janet Froetscher, NSC President & CEO. "Over the past 10 years the NSC and its Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign have worked hard with Florida to change the public mindset about seatbelts and safety. Today we share what must be a great level of pride in that state."
Currently, Florida law enforcement officers can not ticket someone older than
18 for not wearing a seat belt unless the person first commits another traffic offense. The new law will remove that requirement and impose a $30 fine for failing to buckle up. The new law will save an estimated 124 lives each year in Florida, prevent 1,700 serious injuries and save $408 million, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist is expected to sign the bill into law.
Florida will then join 26 other states and the District of Columbia in
allowing police to stop drivers for lack of seat belt use alone.
The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) saves lives by preventing
injuries and deaths at work, in homes, communities and on the roads,
through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
SOURCE National Safety Council
Saturday, April 25, 2009
James Madison University
On Monday, April 13, I had the honor (and it was a TRUE honor) to work with James Madison University's SafeRide program. Dig this... and I'm going to come at this as if you, EE reader, are uninformed about SafeRide since I sure was!
JMU is a campus of approximately 17,000 students, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. A gorgeous campus near the Blue Ridge Mountains, an incredibly passionate group of students and a true desire to keep JMU students safe from DUI.
The SafeRide program is a 501C3 non-for-profit student run org which provides JMU students with sober rides on Friday and Saturday nights. Several rented cars driven by JMU students are dispatched to different locations when students call into the switchboard. Then, the sober chauffeur shows up, drives intoxicated students home and a threat for a DUI crash is now nill.
The JMU SafeRide program has approximately 200 volunteers who promote, drive, answer phones and, in general, help coordinate the SafeRide program. In the last several years since the initiation of SafeRide, over 10,000 safe rides have been given to JMU students. Think of that for a second...10,000 intoxicated drivers taken off the road. Not by the cops, not by the legal system, but by passionate students who simply want to see their friends arrive alive. Major props to the JMU SafeRide program for such fantastic work!
And special thanks to all my travelling companions who ran me back and forth to Charlottesville! Extra special thanks to Jamie Koslosky for being such an incredible client to work with! Thanks again, JMU! You guys rock!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
279 Tweens And One Better Person
Did you like high school?
Note: If you’re in high school now (or will be in a few years), disregard this question for now, but come back and answer it around 2025, okay?
So, did you like high school? Usually, this question gets one of two polar opposite reactions. Most folks either loved it… or loathed it. There’s not much in between!
However, when you ask about middle school, the response is almost always unanimous: “Hated it!” I know I sure did! I mean, this is when I so, so, so wanted to talk to these strange beings known as “girls,” yet I had all the communication skills of a Rhesus monkey hopped up on No Doz. I tripped over my own two ginormous feet, forgot to wear deodorant on a daily basis, my voice had more cracks than a plumber’s convention and, to top it off, I had hair growing in weird places (my apologies to all you visual learners).
So, when I was invited to go back and speak at my old middle school, I accepted… and promptly felt my face break out with zits.
When the day rolled around, I’ve gotta say, middle school isn’t nearly as traumatic as I’d remembered! Either that or 20 years means I’ve forgotten all that embarrassment… NOT!
Okay, serious stuff here… When I was doing Q & A with my Montgomery County R-II Middle School audience, I got one of those really profound (and unexpected) questions that make me love working with middle schoolers:
“Marcus, do you think you’ve become a better person since you lost your sight?”
I’m not sure I’ve ever had this question from this age group before, so I didn’t have a ready answer. Yet, every so often, I open my mouth and something appropriate pops out (not like that time I accidentally spat in my date’s eye at my first dance… ahhh the flashbacks continue!)
Okay, back to serious stuff again…
Question again: “Do you feel like you’ve become a better person since you lost your sight?” Answer? “Yes, absolutely! And I hope I’m a better person today than I was yesterday. And I hope tomorrow I’ll be a better person than I am today.”
For years, I’ve been a big advocate of constant self improvement. Yet, I’m not sure I’ve ever thought of it in this day-to-day realm. To be a better person than yesterday means I have to do something (anything, really) today. Right here and now. And tomorrow? Third verse, same as the first.
Ya know, the horrors of middle school were nothing compared with those life-changes after high school… but they DID help me become a better person. Yet, even if I didn’t have such a dramatic story, I hope I’d still be the kind of person who wants to make daily improvements. But that means putting forth a conscious effort. Every day, I want to learn something new, do something healthy, teach something important and experience something different.
As a 13 year old middle schooler, I was just happy to get home at night with my underwear still intact. Some days still feel like staying in bed might have been a better option – but now I know the bigger picture. A person’s actions, attitudes and choices… these are things we each control. Every day, sometimes even moment by moment! Each experience brings an opportunity to have that moment shape a positive tomorrow.
Years, life experience and a desire for daily improvement. These things add up to helping create a happy life. I hope you embrace the same goals and determination. And thank goodness middle school isn’t even close to the best years of life!
Note: If you’re in high school now (or will be in a few years), disregard this question for now, but come back and answer it around 2025, okay?
So, did you like high school? Usually, this question gets one of two polar opposite reactions. Most folks either loved it… or loathed it. There’s not much in between!
However, when you ask about middle school, the response is almost always unanimous: “Hated it!” I know I sure did! I mean, this is when I so, so, so wanted to talk to these strange beings known as “girls,” yet I had all the communication skills of a Rhesus monkey hopped up on No Doz. I tripped over my own two ginormous feet, forgot to wear deodorant on a daily basis, my voice had more cracks than a plumber’s convention and, to top it off, I had hair growing in weird places (my apologies to all you visual learners).
So, when I was invited to go back and speak at my old middle school, I accepted… and promptly felt my face break out with zits.
When the day rolled around, I’ve gotta say, middle school isn’t nearly as traumatic as I’d remembered! Either that or 20 years means I’ve forgotten all that embarrassment… NOT!
Okay, serious stuff here… When I was doing Q & A with my Montgomery County R-II Middle School audience, I got one of those really profound (and unexpected) questions that make me love working with middle schoolers:
“Marcus, do you think you’ve become a better person since you lost your sight?”
I’m not sure I’ve ever had this question from this age group before, so I didn’t have a ready answer. Yet, every so often, I open my mouth and something appropriate pops out (not like that time I accidentally spat in my date’s eye at my first dance… ahhh the flashbacks continue!)
Okay, back to serious stuff again…
Question again: “Do you feel like you’ve become a better person since you lost your sight?” Answer? “Yes, absolutely! And I hope I’m a better person today than I was yesterday. And I hope tomorrow I’ll be a better person than I am today.”
For years, I’ve been a big advocate of constant self improvement. Yet, I’m not sure I’ve ever thought of it in this day-to-day realm. To be a better person than yesterday means I have to do something (anything, really) today. Right here and now. And tomorrow? Third verse, same as the first.
Ya know, the horrors of middle school were nothing compared with those life-changes after high school… but they DID help me become a better person. Yet, even if I didn’t have such a dramatic story, I hope I’d still be the kind of person who wants to make daily improvements. But that means putting forth a conscious effort. Every day, I want to learn something new, do something healthy, teach something important and experience something different.
As a 13 year old middle schooler, I was just happy to get home at night with my underwear still intact. Some days still feel like staying in bed might have been a better option – but now I know the bigger picture. A person’s actions, attitudes and choices… these are things we each control. Every day, sometimes even moment by moment! Each experience brings an opportunity to have that moment shape a positive tomorrow.
Years, life experience and a desire for daily improvement. These things add up to helping create a happy life. I hope you embrace the same goals and determination. And thank goodness middle school isn’t even close to the best years of life!
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