Spin City: Grosse Pointe hires PR firm - Local History Archives

May 19, 2005
Grosse Pointe News Health 7B
Graduation parties can be safe, sober, happy affairs
The end of a high school
career is a great cause for
celebration, and students
who achieve this rite of passage
deserve to be honored
for a job well done, Seniors
eagerly look forward to the
next phase of their lives as
they prepare for college or
full-time jobs.
Unfortunately, too many
young lives are lost instead
of launched when new graduates
jeopardize their
bright futures by getting
into cars when they are
intoxicated.
According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, more than
half of all fatal traffic crashes
on typical prom and
graduation weekends
involve alcohol.
Also, the NHTSA reports
that motor vehicle crashes
are the leading cause of
death for people 15 to 20
years old.
A recent survey by
Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) and the
Chrysler Group found that
45 percent of 16- to 18-yearolds
report feeling pressure
to drink and drive or ride
with someone who has been
drinking.
Many schools, parents
and communities throughout
the country are doing
their best to reverse that
peer pressure and make
sure that this year's graduations
will be safe and
memorable experiences for
everyone. The Roseville
Area High School in
Roseville, Minn., has
approximately 500 students
in its '05 graduating class,
and if this year is like other
years, 85 percent of its'
seniors will attend the allnight
party that follows the
commencement ceremonies.
"There are so many different
and fun activities all
night long," said Olivia
Gault, one of the parent volunteers.
"We hav€ a casino,
sumo wrestling with inflatable
suits, an obstacle
course, and many other
attractions." Gault said that
students earn fake money
in the competitions that
they can exchange for
prizes — an enticement
that gets more kids
involved.
To keep the event affordable,
Roseville parents garner
support from local businesses
and organizations
that donate prizes and food.
They explain to these
donors that graduation and
prom can be the two deadliest
weekends in a teenager's
life and how they are
striving to thwart those statistics
by supporting the
tradition of the alcohol-free
senior party. The community's
response has been generous.
Communities that want
to provide safe and sobergraduation
parties like
Roseville's need not start
from scratch in planning
such an event. Many organizations
have developed
extensive materials to guide
them. For example,
Students Against
Destructive Decisions
(SADD) has a 52-page "All-
Night Party Event
Organizer" available on its
Web site (www.saddon
line.com) that walks people
through each stage of planning
a substance-free party,
from organizing committees
and working with local law
enforcement to asking for
donations and sending out
press releases, letters and
other announcements.
Other organizations such
as the Minnesota
Prevention Resource Center
offer low-cost materials that
promote healthy behaviors
and offer tips for parents on
why and how they can promote
safe and sober graduation
parties.
"Graduation is one of
those milestones everyone
can relate to, and we want
the memories to be happy,
substance-free ones," said
Kevin Spading, the Center's
project director. "Our goal is
to keep accurate, informa­
What you should know before and after stroke
What are the signs of
stroke? What happens
before, during, and after a
stroke? What is the most
important thing to do when
.someone shows signs of a
stroke?
These questions will be
answered in depth at a special
free Stroke Education
Seminar and Health
Screening event from 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m., Saturday, June 18,
at St. John Hospital and
Medical Center (SJHMC)
Auditorium, 22101 Moross.
Refreshments and snacks
will be provided. The auditorium
is located in the
lower level of the hospital,
directly below the Center
Soroptimists name North senior for award
Soroptimist International
of Grosse Pointe has
announced its Violet
Richardson Award winner.
Dayna Hohlfeldt, a senior at
Grosse Pointe North High
School, has been recognized
for her volunteer efforts in
the community.
The Violet Richardson
Award is given each year to
a young woman between the
ages of 14 and 17 whose volunteer
activities make the
community a better place.
Violet Richardson was the
first Soroptimist Club president,
and the, award is in
honor of her spirit and sense
of responsibility, demonstrated
by her lifelong commitment
to volunteerism.
Hohlfeldt also won the
Soroptimist International of
the Americas' regional
award, which includes a
$1,000 donation to the
Developmental Learning
Program.
Hohlfeldt is an active volunteer
in many community
endeavors, including Meals
on Wheels, a homeless shel-
Diagnostic,
wellness centers
at Cottage
The Mary Gene Buhl
Oppermann Women's
Diagnostic Center and a
Wellness Resource Center
are available at the Cottage
Hospital campus.
Services offered at the
center include mammograms
(both film screen and
digital), computer-aided second
read of mammography
results, four-dimensional
ultrasound for breast and
OB/GYN imaging, minimally
invasive breast biopsy,
and bone density screening.
A Health Resource Center
is also on site where women
can research topics from
current literature and
videos and access the
Internet to investigate
online health information.
With a personalized
approach to women's care, a /
registered nurse BreastCare
Coordinator oversees coordination
of testing and offers
support to patients and
their families, sharing information
regarding procedures
and options, Call (313)
640-2626.
Thrift Shop sale
The Neighborhood Club
Thrift Shop will close for the
summer months on
Thursday, May 26. Before
closing, the shop will put its
merchandise on sale. The
shop is open from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Tuesdays through
Fridays; and 10 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. Saturdays. It will
reopen on Sept. 7.
Prom left, are Mary Bryk, president of the Grosse
Pointe chapter of Soroptimist International; Rosalie
Agents, coordinator of the Developmental Learning
Program; award-winner Dayna Hohlfeldt; and
Thomas Teetaert, assistant principal of Grosse
Pointe North High School.
ter, Relay for Life, blood drives,
breast cancer awareness
and the Developmental
Learning Program.
She lias spent her senior
year working with students
with special educational
needs through the
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