ADA, Okla., Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Determined
Ada High School students spent weeks
knocking on doors, handing out fliers, sending emails, talking to
friends, family members – anyone who would listen – about the
dangers of texting and driving and urging community members to
pledge to X the TXT(SM) in a national competition. When the votes
were tallied, Ada High School
accomplished what hundreds of high schools across America could
not: rallying the highest percentage of participation (calculated
as a percentage of school size) to take the pledge not to text and
drive.
"The contest was important because life is fragile and, while
I'm a competitive person, it made me feel good to know that of the
hundreds of students who participated, we've probably saved at
least one of their lives from a texting while driving collision,"
said Colton Lott, an Ada High School student who helped lead the
effort.
The win earned the school a $10,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation, as
well as a private concert from rising singer/songwriter
Ashlyne Huff, who will appear at Ada
High at a planned event in May during National Youth Traffic Safety
Month. To kick off the concert and day-long festivities, Channel
One, the leading television news network for teens, will tape a
broadcast from Ada High, which will be seen by an audience of
nearly six million young people in middle schools and high schools
across the country.
"When I heard about the contest, I said 'We can do it, we can
win this,'" commented Ali Lawson,
the Ada High leadership teacher who spearheaded the campaign, along
with her service learning classes of 115 sophomores, juniors and
seniors. "The students were the catalysts for the campaign, but the
whole community pitched in," continued Lawson, "from the local
college, to the town's small businesses, to the Chickasaw Nation,
headquartered in Ada. It was a true community effort."
"I am thrilled that a school in our community achieved this win
and that Allstate offers programs like this that are life-changing
experiences for our teens," said local Allstate representative,
Brenda Allford. "The X the TXT
movement has made a strong mark on Ada and we won't soon forget
it."
The competition was created by The Allstate Foundation and
Channel One News through a partnership to grow Allstate's X the TXT
movement in schools across the country, and empower students to
tackle the issue of distracted driving. The week-long competition,
held Feb. 7-13, called for students
to rally their peers, family, friends and community to take the
pledge on the X the TXT contest website not to text and drive. More
than 300 schools across the country signed on for the contest,
including three schools from Oklahoma.
Ada District Court Judge Tom
Landrith said he took the pledge after his court staff told
him about the campaign: "This is an issue (texting and driving)
about gross negligence, but unfortunately, people still do it. This
campaign made a lot of people aware of just how dangerous it
is."
"Channel One and The Allstate Foundation's X the TXT competition
succeeded in raising awareness for a very important issue among a
population of teens who are at greater risk to the dangers of
texting while driving," commented Kent
Haehl, CEO, Channel One Network. "Ada High School put forth an enthusiastic
campaign to win the competition and we look forward to rewarding
their impressive effort."
About The Allstate Foundation
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent,
charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The
Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Through partnerships with
nonprofit organizations across the country, The Allstate Foundation
brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to
support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people's
well-being and prosperity. With a focus on teen safe driving and
building financial independence for domestic violence survivors,
The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities;
tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment. For
more information, visit www.allstate.com/foundation.
About Channel One News
Peabody and Telly Award-winning Channel One News, an Alloy Media
+ Marketing company, is the leading television news network for
teens, reaching nearly six million young people in middle schools
and high schools nationwide - broadcast each day to close to 1 in 4
of all teenagers in the U.S. The dynamic, daily broadcast and
supplementary educational resources inform, educate, and inspire
teens, connecting them with important current events and the world
around them. Channel One News has covered fast-breaking global
events from regions such as Haiti,
Chile, Mexico, Sierra
Leone, North Korea,
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Germany and Qatar. Through its partnership with CBS News
Productions, Channel One News draws on the vast resources of CBS
News, ensuring worldwide coverage wherever and whenever news breaks
- and always from a teen perspective. Channel One News programming
has been featured on leading networks and news programs, including
CBS, CNN, NBC Nightly News and Today Show, ABC News and Nightline.
Visit the Webby Award-winning website www.ChannelOne.com to learn
more.
SOURCE The Allstate Foundation