The Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club at American Heritage Schools’ Broward Campus hosted Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)’s “Power of You(th)®” presentation, aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving before prom night and graduation. The assembly for 11th and 12th-grade students was organized by Harlee Ross, a junior at American Heritage Schools and the president of the SADD Club.
During the “Power of You(th)” presentation, over 600 seniors and juniors from American Heritage Schools were educated about the potentially fatal consequences of impaired driving. The DUI exposition included a demonstration of the potential outcomes of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Guardian Fleet Services provided a crashed DUI car on campus for students to observe real-life examples of these dangers. Members of the Plantation Fire Department extracted mannequins from the simulated car crash using the jaws of life tools while providing a narrative of the scene.
Notable executives from MADD, such as Heather Geronemus, the founder of Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale, and Jennifer Walsh, the MADD South Florida area executive director, were in attendance. A young woman and victim named Bree Ann Marie Camacho shared her story and provided tips and tricks on making informed decisions. Students also heard impactful stories and words from Geronemus and Ross.
“We’re grateful to work with MADD to educate our students and bring awareness to the dangers of impaired and destructive driving, especially ahead of special celebrations such as prom and graduation,” says Dr. Doug Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools. “We are proud of our students who are part of the SADD Club and helped bring this impactful presentation to our students.”
In South Florida, the local MADD affiliate’s annual Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K has raised more than $3.7 million since it was founded in 2011 by Geronemus, whose late father, Dr. Robert Perry Geronemus, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in 2009.
“It was a great honor to work with the SADD Club and the staff at American Heritage Schools to once again host MADD’s Power of You(th) presentation on campus to educate students on the tragedies that drunk driving causes,” Geronemus says. “Events such as these raise awareness and put us one step closer to seeing a future with no more victims of this 100 percent preventable crime.”
