Local Winners are Will Banks of Southampton and Sarah Haiken of Melville
Melville and Southampton, N.Y. (May 17, 2012) - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), along with Presenting Sponsor State Farm®, announced today that two Long Island teens will be part of MADD's first-ever Power of You(th)™ National TeenInfluencer Group. Will Banks (age 16) is a student at Southampton High School and is one of five winners in the video contest, for which teens were asked to creatively show the Power of You(th) to help prevent underage drinking. Sarah Haiken (age 13) is a student at West Hollow Middle School and is one of five winners selected through a nomination process based on her significant contributions to underage drinking prevention in the community.
In addition to securing a spot in MADD’s National Teen Influencer Group, both Will and Sarah will get an all-expenses-paid trip to MADD’s National Office in Dallas for a National Teen Influencer Summit in late June 2012. Will has also won an iPad 2 for his video contest entry, which can be viewed using the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUv59NctLTk.
“It’s truly inspiring to see such passion and enthusiasm among these 10 young people,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “MADD hopes to work with these teens to harness the Power of You(th) and motivate teens around the country to take a stand against underage drinking.”
Teen alcohol use kills about 6,000 people each year - more than all other illegal drugs combined. To address this epidemic, MADD and State Farm have established the first-ever Power of You(th) National Teen Influencer Group, which includes these outstanding teens, along with eight others from across the country. Five teens were selected from nominations submitted by MADD, MADD partners and State Farm employees and volunteers, and the other five were selected based on their entries in the national video contest. In June, all 10 teens will attend a National Teen Influencer Summit, which will focus on how best to educate teens to take a stand against underage drinking. This elite group of teens will provide their insight on creation of an underage drinking prevention initiative that saves lives and empowers young people to make a difference in their community.
“State Farm is proud to team up with MADD on the Power of You(th) program, which enables teens to create positive change around the many dangers associated with teen alcohol use,” said Kellie Clapper, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for State Farm.
To learn more about MADD and State Farm’sPower of You(th) program, visit www.madd.org/powerofyouth.
Anna Duerr, MADD 469-420-4503
Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. With the help of those who want a safer future, MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® will end this danger on America’s roads. PowerTalk 21® is the national day for parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, using the proven strategies of Power of Parents™ to reduce the risk of underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the U.S., MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every nine minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP. Learn more at www.madd.org or by calling 1-877-ASK-MADD.
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