The Pepperell High School student group – Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) has received a $1,000 Award from the Allstate Foundation and National Organizations for Youth Safety.  Pepperell High School – Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) The PHS SADD organization joins 49 other youth organizations and communities nationwide, sharing $50,000 in awards.

The PHS group won the award with their development of The Teen Report Line.  The program was organized by Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) Chapter at Pepperell High School and Sheriff Tim Burkhalter of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department.  The Teen Report Line number is to provide teens in Rome and Floyd County an outlet for reporting any information about any drug activity in their community including what teens see on the roads.  All confidential reports coming through the report line are forwarded to the Rome/Floyd County Metro Drug Task Force for law enforcement follow-ups.  Numerous arrests and investigations have been and continue to be made because of information given through the Teen Report Line.  The impact of the Teen Report Line has given teens in Rome and Floyd County a channel to reach law enforcement anonymously to report what they see and hear.  We have a lot of community support and sponsors.  Sponsors include Pepperell High School S.A.D.D., Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, Lamar Advertising, Sprint Nexcom of Georgia, Promotions Plus, and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.  The award money will be used to promote the teen number line and get the phone number out to all teens in the Rome and Floyd County area.  This is an ongoing initiative that will continue to gain momentum in our community with increased support.

The programs entered in this competition were varied, ranging from online communities with more than 16,000 teens sharing stories and advice, to a group that staged mock car crashes so fellow teens could witness the devastating results of a serious crash.

“The Allstate Foundation is committed to promoting smart teen driving and our hope is that programs such as The Teen Repot Line will engage teens in the discussion and underscore the importance of responsible driving,” said Lamar Wright and Michael Britton both local Allstate Agents.

“National Organizations for Youth Safety is honored to work with The Allstate Foundation.  We appreciate the leadership The Allstate Foundation has shown in encouraging and rewarding youth leaders who create National Youth Traffic Safety Month projects in their communities,” said Sandy Spavone, executive director, National Organizations for Youth Safety.

The request for entries kicked off in May as part of National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Pepperell High School – Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) won the award for their innovative campaign promoting safe teen driving.  Each year in the U.S., car crashes take the lives of nearly 6,000 teens and injure more than 300,000 - many seriously and for life.  To raise awareness of this critical issue, National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) teamed up with The Allstate Foundation to award $1,000 to Pepperell High School – Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) for excellence in bringing safe teen driving to the Rome and Floyd County area.