SENATE MEMORIAL 11

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

Timothy Z. Jennings

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING JANUARY 26, 2011 "CHAVES COUNTY EVERY 15 MINUTES PROGRAM DAY" IN THE NEW MEXICO SENATE.

     WHEREAS, in the United States, someone is killed in a drunk-driving accident every fifteen minutes; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county DWI program and Chaves county youth awareness group work together each year to help put on the Chaves county every 15 minutes program for the benefit of the entire community; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county every 15 minutes program mission statement is "working together selflessly in an effort to educate our youth and community on the dangers of drinking and driving and underage drinking", and the motto is "I make a difference and saving lives is our mission"; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county youth awareness group is a nonprofit organization, composed entirely of volunteers, that conducts the Chaves county every l5 minutes program, which is an intense and emotional two-day, thirty-hour program designed to educate students and families about the dangers of underage drinking and of drinking and driving; and

     WHEREAS, the program is intended to be conducted at or near the time of high school proms and graduations because statistics show that underage drinking increases with these two annual events; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county every 15 minutes program is an important addition to the Chaves county DWI program, and it reaches every student in a targeted high school, along with staff and family members and others in the community; and

     WHEREAS, the goal of the Chaves county every 15 minutes program is to have an impact on every family, home and business in Chaves county and in surrounding areas in order to make a difference in the lives of youths and families; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county youth awareness group initially started with volunteers from fire, police and emergency medical services personnel but has grown to include people from all walks of life; and

     WHEREAS, each year, the Chaves county youth awareness group has expanded the program, both in scale and intensity, with a complete focus on saving lives, especially the lives of young people, who are the future; and

     WHEREAS, one life saved is all it takes to be successful; and

     WHEREAS, the program's success have been the result of the efforts of dedicated volunteers, donations from local businesses and individuals and funding from the Chaves county DWI program, all of which have been substantial; and

     WHEREAS, donations by local businesses, special individuals and the Chaves county DWI program have made it possible to put on this great program; and

     WHEREAS, the Chaves county every 15 minutes program started in April 1999, when the first event was held at Roswell high school, and has expanded in the last eleven years to include every school district in Chaves county; and

     WHEREAS, this year alone, the program will reach one thousand two hundred students;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 26, 2011 be declared "Chaves County Every 15 Minutes Program Day" in the New Mexico senate; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the Chaves county DWI program and the Chaves county youth awareness group.

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