West Charlotte High students are working this summer to keep their peers safe this upcoming school year. The Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) club discussed its plans to increase safe driving, and promote violence prevention and peer mediation at a press conference Monday, July 20, at West Charlotte High School.
To support the campaign, the Allstate Foundation awarded Charlotte and North Carolina SAVE chapters $35,000.
“Right here is where SAVE started,” said John Scott, West Charlotte student and SAVE leader. “We have to spread the news about how to keep each other safe and drive smarter.”
West Charlotte students won’t be working alone on this project. Nearly 25 students from the National Youth SAVE Advisory Council are helping the team. Students from Ohio, Wisconsin, South Carolina, New Jersey and other states are in Charlotte this week to plan the 20th anniversary National SAVE Summit, which will be held at West Charlotte High Oct. 17. 
“SAVE brings people together,” said Kaylynn Kowitz, a senior at Wilmont Union High School in Wisconsin. “Our chapter began almost two years ago and we are already making a difference in our school.”
The summit will feature Daryl Davis, a motivational speaker, Drummin’ Up the Peace, a theater group that uses drama, comedy and music to teach about peace, and workshops on bullying and violence prevention. The summit will be sponsored in part by the $35,000 donated by the Allstate Foundation.
“SAVE is all about students,” said Dr. Pamela Riley, executive director for SAVE and a teen safety expert. “This generous grant from The Allstate Foundation will assist students in finding real solutions to the issues of teen safe driving that they face each day.”
The SAVE club began at West Charlotte following Alex Orange’s death. The student was killed at a party in 1989 while trying to stop a fight at an off-campus party. The award-winning chapter celebrated its 20th anniversary in April.
SAVE is a student-run organization with 1,800 chapters in 47 states. There are nearly 200,000 members in the association. For more information, visit www.nationalsave.org.