Events
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!
Girl Talk and Atlanta Dream Sleepover
As a special treat right before the school season's start, Girl Talk and the WNBA's Atlanta Dream team held a sleepover sponsored by The Century Council for 300 middle school girls.
After the basketball game, the girls were invited to spend the night and take part in lots of fun activities meant to inspire and empower the girls to believe in themselves enough to make the good choices needed to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Included in the activities were meet and greets with the Atlanta Dream players and cheerleaders, as well as our very own Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking lesson plan and Ask, Listen, Learn interactive activity.
It was a fun night for all involved!
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.
Girl Talk at Julie Foudy Leadership Academy Today!
Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking is making an appearance today at the New Jersey Julie Foudy Leadership Academy.
Julie Foudy, former USA Women's Soccer Team Captain, two-time Gold Medalist, and two-time World Cup Champion, launched the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy (JFLA) to spread the ideals she embodies. Students learn soccer from some of the best women's players in the world, and they are exposed to a multitude of leadership concepts they can cultivate for life.
Recognizing that female soccer players are role models to many teen girls, our Girl Talk program, developed in 2005, has been speaking at Julie's Leadership camps for five years and was even the sponsor of the 2007 Induction of the National Soccer Hall of Fame – the year when Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy were inducted.
Julie is such a star that she is also one of our famous Ask, Listen, Learn SuperStars. Be sure to check her SuperStar profile out.
We'll be posting picture from the event soon so be sure to check back!
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.