All clubs work hard, host fundraisers and recruit new members, but what sets Youth of Virginia Speak Out (YOVASO) apart from the rest?
They save lives.
YOVASO participates in several campaigns, such as Save Your Tailgate, Have a Heart; Drive Smart and Buckle Up; and Drive Sober (BUDS), which convince teens to practice safe driving.
Another way the club spreads the word is through events such as Relay For Life, held in April, when the club forms a team to raise money for a cure for cancer, while simultaneously providing the public with information and statistics about safe driving.
"If we can change the driving and riding habits of at least one teen, then our efforts will be worth it," said Debi White, the organization's co-adviser.
Not only do those campaigns impact the club members' lives, but also they raise awareness to not only teens, but adults as well.
Locally, there have been too many driving fatalities due to unsafe driving. Therefore, the Altavista Combined School YOVASO club thinks it is critical to enforce safe driving.
"We do seat belt checks, where students get out in the parking lot and record how many people wear seat belts to formulate a percentage, said co-adviser Sgt. Robert Hutcherson of the Campbell County Sheriff's Office. "They do this once a week during certain campaigns, and we hope to see an increase in the amount of people that wear their seat belts. This is an effective way to get the members involved in making a difference."
Members of the school's Virginia Association of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) will join with YOVASO and more than 219,000 members in celebrating a traffic safety program, which began Jan. 30 and will run through Feb. 17. The current event is the Have a Heart, Drive Smart campaign.
Members plan and carry out activities to bring awareness to teens regarding safe driving and inform as many people as possible about the dangers of driving without a seat belt, driving while texting or talking on the phone and driving under the influence.
Not only can committing these driving crimes be dangerous, they can also affect everyone around the driver.
This February, the community can save a life, save a friend and save themselves.
The school is currently holding a pledge signing to buckle up and drive sober and encourage others to do the same.
