EAC Network has partnered with State Farm and Chris Scalone, an auto safety advocate, to further educate Long Island teens. Chris was only a teenager when he and his mother, Sophia, were in a motor vehicle collision that left Sophia paralyzed from the waist down. Thankfully, they were both wearing their seatbelts and Chris escaped physically unscathed. After graduating high school, Chris began speaking at Long Island high schools to promote auto safety with the help of EAC Network and State Farm at Celebrate My Drive events.
“If I change just one life, if one person walks away feeling more knowledgeable and inspired to make better decisions, then I will have done my job,” says Chris.
State Farm has long been supporting teen driver safety through Celebrate My Drive, which emphasizes the positives of safe driving and celebrates teens across the country for their dedication to safe driving habits, like Drive2N2® – 2 eyes on the road and 2 hands on the wheel.
“Getting a driver’s license is an awesome opportunity for a teen, but is also a huge responsibility for themselves and others they share the road with,” says Naomi Johnson, New York Community Specialist for State Farm. “Our Celebrate My Drive program encourages teens to understand that driving safely is cool and can save lives, while they celebrate the opportunity and the freedom that comes from learning to drive.”
EAC Network is honored to receive a $25,000 Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant from State Farm every year to enforce and promote positive driving skills for teens. The Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant specifically benefits the Driving Equation Program, which seeks to create collaboration between parents, teens and the community to help them understand the crucial role they play in preventing teen motor vehicle crashes and influence safe driving behaviors.
EAC Network’s next teen driver event for Celebrate My Drive will take place on October 23, 2015 at Mount Sinai High School and October 27 at Sachem East High School. Community Partners include State Farm, The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, The New York State Troopers, BLI 106.1, and the Town of Brookhaven.
Read more about Chris Scalone in the GoodNeighbors.com feature, An Unbreakable Bond.
