To encourage 3D Prevention Month participants to report back on their December 1996 activities, the 3D Prevention Month Coalition sponsored a contest that offered three $500 community safety grants as prizes. Contestants had to host at least one 3D Prevention Month program and fill out a simple "Brag Sheet" from the 1996 Program Planner. The grants were awarded with no strings attached, although the Coalition urged the winners to use the money for 1997 3D prevention activities.

Several hundred local groups and organizations submitted "Brag Sheets," with nearly one-third coming from high school Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapters and college BACCHUS chapters, an encouraging sign that young people are taking this problem very seriously. Also represented were police organizations, community groups (including Mothers Against Drunk Driving [MADD] and Remove Intoxicated Drivers [RID] chapters), military installations, government agencies, health care organizations, businesses, substance abuse programs, women's groups, and the news media.

Winners were selected at random during the Coalition's first meeting of the new year. The winners represented a good cross-section of the many different kinds of groups that get involved in 3D Prevention Month and their programs may offer some ideas for 1997 possibilities. Additional ideas are available in the "Idea Exchange" section of the Coalition's home page (http://www.3dmonth.org).

Following is a summary of the winners from the 1996 contest.

Be sure to enter your program for 1997.
(See the "1997 3D Prevention Month Brag Sheet and Feedback Form" included in this planner.)

Illinois College/National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness
Week Planning Committee "Power-Up! Feel the Power of Positive Choices!" was the theme of a week-long campaign to educate the entire college community on the dangers of impaired driving. The campaign included an information table, public service announcements on a local radio station, table tent cards in the dining halls, and posters. Sixteen student groups sponsored alcohol-free parties or other events. One demonstration brought in a law enforcement officer to administer field sobriety tests to students and faculty members who had been drinking, and to explain DUI arrest procedures and penalties. A wrecked car in front of a residence hall and a memorial wall of friends and family members who had been killed in impaired driving crashes were somber reminders of the consequences of impaired driving. Seven programs throughout the week conferred "convocation credits" that students must accrue for graduation.

St. Claire Hospital/Obstetrics Department The Department of Obstetrics at St. Claire Hospital in Baraboo, Wisconsin, had a simple goal: to increase awareness of impaired driving. They proved that any organization and any sized effort can make a difference during 3D Prevention Month or any time of the year. The department targeted not only their own audiences (expectant and new parents), but others in the community as well. In partnership with the Baraboo News Republic, they ran public service advertisements, posted information on bulletin boards, and participated in National Lights On For Life Day. "The public was the target," they reported to the Coalition. "If this prevented just one crash or death, it was worth it."

Tennessee Network of Employers for Traffic Safety The goal of the Tennessee Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) was to work through employers to educate employees on traffic safety in general and to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on the area's highways. For 3D Prevention Month 1996, they distributed public service announcements, conducted an extensive media campaign and even sent information via the Internet. The group timed their primary press effort to coincide with National Lights On For Life Day and heavily promoted increased law enforcement, with emphasis on National Holiday Lifesaver Weekend. To drive home the problem, they held their press event in the lobby of Baptist Memorial Hospital Central in Memphis, with representatives from law enforcement and public service agencies. They also worked closely with their local transit authority, a NETS member, to offer alternative transportation.