Partners
Rep. Heath Shuler and Ask Listen Learn!
Now that school’s back in session, Ask, Listen Learn is back visiting schools! Today we visited Erwin Middle School in Asheville, NC with Congressman Heath Shuler!
We had a great time with the kids, and it’s always a pleasure to revisit Asheville. We’d like to thank Principal Hathaway and everyone at Erwin Middle School, and Congressman Shuler for his consistent support!
EMF and The Century Council
Today, The Century Council met with George Washington University's school, police, and hospital staff as well as the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF).
According to Mary Pat McKay, MD, Director of the Center for Injury Prevention and Control at GW, there are 600,000 visits to the emergency room per year for drinking-related situations.
GWU and its community make a concerted effort to stop binge drinking on their campus by joining forces with their local police force, hospital staff, university staff, and even the students and their parents. A common goal between all of the GWU community was simple: education for parents and students alike. Education to prevent binge drinking as well as intervention education if a student has been to the hospital for a drinking-related incident are key to stopping binge drinking.
Thank you to EMF and GWU for having us today!
Cops in Shops hits the Jersey Shore
Today, New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow is joining The Century Council's Ron Engle and others to kick off a summer's worth of programs to fight underage drinking on the Jersey Shore.
One of these programs is Cops in Shops®. Cops in Shops® is a unique partnershp between retailers and law enforcement that helps stop illegal alcohol sales to those underage and prevents adults from buying alcohol for minors.The program places undercover cops in and around retail outlets selling alcohol, looking out for those underage. Cops in Shops® signage around the retail outlets also let buyers know underage drinkers are taking a substanital risk by attempting to purchase from that store.
We're very glad to have Attorney General Dow's support behind this program, and we're looking forward to seeing its impact on the Jersey Shore this summer.
SoberRide rides again!
One local program we’re very proud to support is SoberRide. SoberRide offers free cabs to everyone in the Washington DC Metro Area on some of the most dangerous weekends of the year for traffic. By doing so, Sober Ride helps keep those who’ve had too much to drink from getting behind the wheel and getting them home safely.
Funding for SoberRide has been lower this year, to the point where it was in danger of being cancelled for the July 4th weekend. Thankfully, many of SoberRide’s private sponsors joined The Century Council in generously donating to keep the program alive. As a result, Washington DC is going to a much safer place this holiday weekend.
SoberRide is run by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), a public-private coalition to promote healthy, safe choices regarding alcohol in the Washington DC metro area.
To use SoberRide this weekend, just call 1-800 200-TAXI. You must be 21 years or older to use the service.
United Reads, a great program for Washington DC's kids!
One of the programs what we support via out partnership with D.C. United is its United Reads program. For the past eight years, D.C. United has distributed books and a love for reading throughout schools in Washington DC.
We went to selected classrooms at Simon Elementary School handing out activities and free books to the students. United Reads issues a challenge to the students: commit to 15 minutes of both reading and physical activity every day for three weeks. After the three weeks, D.C. United returns and awards the students who’ve stuck to it!
We think this is a great way for D.C. United to give back to its community, and we’re very happy to help support this program. A big thanks to the kids of Simon Elementary Schoo. We hope they learned as much about hungry caterpillars as we did.
National Youth Traffic Safety Month!
May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month, and a perfect time to refocus efforts on keeping America’s youth safe on our roadways. Youth and organizations across the nation will host and participate in events and projects to increase awareness about youth traffic safety.
National Youth Traffic Safety Month addresses the number one cause of death for youth in our nation. Every year more than 5,000 youth die in traffic-related crashes. Many of these crashes are caused by avoidable behavior, and specific actions can be taken to be a safer driver and ensure passenger (and other motorists’ and pedestrians’) safety.
You may recall The Century Council’s efforts last October during National Teen Driver Safety Week, in which we produced an eCard designed to highlight some of the distractions teen drivers are approached with when they drive. Cell phone usage, eating, loud music and other similar distractions provide unnecessary interruptions to all drivers, but youth are especially affected by these annoyances due to their lack of experience behind the wheel.
We commend the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) on their hard work preparing for National Youth Traffic Safety Month! We encourage you to visit NOYS’s website and check out their toolkit to see how you can get involved. We can all play a part in helping to keep our roadways safe for all!