Wednesday, September 27, 2000
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Wednesday, September 27, 2000 |
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Student
anti-violence group hopes to start local chapters SAVE, Students Against Violence Everywhere, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering youth to find positive solutions to conflicts in school, is coming to the metro Atlanta area. A student-run, student-initiated organization with chapters nationwide, the organization is hoping to open local chapters. Any student, school official, school resource officer or parent interested in learning how to start a chapter at a local school can phone 1-800-299-6054 for free information. To bolster efforts to spread the program locally, Chevrolet is supporting SAVE through its community service initiative, Chevy ROCK: Reaching Out to Communities and Kids. "Chevrolet sees an opportunity for SAVE to make a difference in Atlanta and wants to help the organization grow nationwide," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. The firm is providing funding to SAVE to update its materials and increase the number of chapters in schools across the country. "We've always felt a responsibility to give back to the communities in which we operate," said Ritter. SAVE was started by a group of West Charlotte, N.C. students in 1989 after the death of a classmate. They did not want the tragedy to be just another statistic, so they joined together to try to make a difference. There are now more than 500 chapters in more than 25 states. By participating in such activities as conflict mediation, volunteer work, awareness rallies, non-violence pledge drives and fund-raisers, students gain life skills and learn about the effects and consequences of violence, said a SAVE spokesman. The older students then act as role models and mentors for younger students. "The key to SAVE is that it is started by students for students. As we know, kids are influenced most by their peers. SAVE members promote non-violence within the school and community through education about the effects and consequences of violence and by providing safe extracurricular activities," said Dr. Pamela Riley, executive director of SAVE and the Center for the Prevention of School Violence. Chevy ROCK is a community service initiative of the Chevrolet Motor Division in association with the GM Foundation. As of July, SAVE had 575 chapters in 28 states, with more than 65,000 members, and each month adds an estimated 200 students and four chapters. For information, phone 1-800-299-6054 or visit www.nationalsave.org.
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