In this episode, we talk with Sarah Smolinksi with the Seneca County Substance Abuse Coalition and Lauren Zimmerman-Meade from Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Making better decisions
Don’t be a D student is a week-long educational initiative in the four Seneca County High Schools centered around the four D’s of impaired driving, drowsy, distracted, drunk, and drugged driving. Law enforcement officers gave talks at all the schools about the dangers of impaired driving. Crashed vehicles were placed at all the school campuses as a visual reminder, courtesy of C & C Automotive of Romulus.
The event wraps up Friday, May 13 with a pair of events. The Substance Abuse Coalition will partner with RISE, Resilience & Inclusion for Students Everywhere, to host a Friday the 13th-themed Monster Bash for students in grades six through eight. The free evening will include a DJ and laser tag.
Students in grades nine through 12 will attend an assembly highlighted by a speech by Marianne Angelillo of Skaneateles, whose son died in an impaired driving crash in 2004.
The week’s events are in conjunction with a statewide effort centered around prom season called “No Empty Chair.”
I also talked with Lauren about the evolution of her organization, SADD, which began as Students Against Driving Drunk and has evolved into its current Students Against Destructive Decisions. As Northeast Regional Manager, she travels to similar events throughout the northeastern US.
