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I-95 Corridor Coalition, Florida Department of Transportation, Anheuser-Busch Encourage Students to Be "Street Smart" This School Year

MIAMI (Sept. 18, 2008) — With high-school students back in classrooms, the I-95 Corridor Coalition, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Anheuser-Busch today announced an initiative to help students be “Street Smart” about the choices they make. As part of the initiative, students at high schools in states along Interstate 95, from Florida to Maine, will experience a dramatic program. Called Street Smart, the presentation reveals the real-life drama experienced by firefighter/paramedics as they work to save the lives of those who have made poor choices, including drinking underage, driving drunk, using illegal drugs or not wearing seat belts.

Students at Florida Christian School in Miami were the first to participate in the effort, with additional presentations scheduled today and tomorrow in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. The Florida presentations mark the first in a series of Street Smart appearances at high schools in states along the I-95 corridor during the 2008-09 school year.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition, an alliance of transportation agencies from Maine to Florida, is spearheading the educational campaign in partnership with Anheuser-Busch and its local wholesalers as part of the company’s commitment to fight underage drinking and drunk driving.

“The I-95 Corridor Coalition is pleased to work with Anheuser-Busch to remind students that, in fact, they’re not invincible, and they do have the power to make smart choices to help keep themselves and their friends safe,” said Marygrace Parker, freight, mobility, safety and security coordinator for the I-95 Corridor Coalition.

During the presentation, a team of two certified paramedics from Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue walks students through what happens at a trauma scene using the medical equipment they employ daily in their jobs. From taking a pulse, to loading the victim onto a backboard, to simulating an IV-line being inserted, the audience can see and feel what it’s like to try to save a life. . . . and what it’s like to be the victim. Street Smart audience members come to know the power of making the right choices, from choosing not to engage in underage drinking or use illegal drugs to choosing to wear a seat belt….and they come to understand the consequences associated with their actions and the importance and value of their own lives.

“We’re pleased to help bring this powerful program that encourages students to be responsible about the choices they make to our local communities,” stated Kevin Thibault, assistant secretary of Engineering and Operations, FDOT, and vice chair of the I-95 Corridor Coalition Executive Board.

“At Anheuser-Busch, many of our employees are parents, too, and we’re committed to helping our young people stay safe,” said Carol Clark, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We’re proud to bring this valuable, life-saving program that promotes safe-driving habits to high-school students along the I-95 corridor.”

Street Smart is presented by members of Stay Alive From Education (S.A.F.E.), a non-profit organization created by firefighter/paramedics in Miami-Dade County dedicated to reducing injuries and fatalities.

“Street Smart is a no-holds-barred presentation that gets students involved,” explained Vincent Easevoli, Street Smart founder and executive director of S.A.F.E. “We give students a real-life look at the consequences of poor choices and encourage them to make responsible decisions every time they get behind the wheel. Students appreciate our candor and matter-of-fact approach.”

S.A.F.E. has been reaching high-school and college students, as well as military personnel around the world, with its powerful message since 1988.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is a partnership of state departments of transportation, regional agencies, public safety, and related organizations, working together on issues of common interest. Coalition members work together to increase safety and security, reduce congestion, and to assure that the entire 16 state transportation network supports economic vitality throughout the region.

Street Smart is one of more than two dozen community-based alcohol awareness and education programs sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. Since 1982, the company and its network of more than 600 wholesalers, including the 31 in Florida, have invested more than $750 million in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships. In 2008, for the fifth year in a row, Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” and “Global Most Admired Companies.” To learn more, visit www.beeresponsible.com.

Members of the media can contact the Anheuser-Busch Consumer Awareness and Education Communications Office via the Anheuser-Busch Customer Call Center.