California Casualty
Mark Goldberg, 719.532.8436
mgoldberg@calcas.com
Impact Teen Drivers
Kelly Browning, Ph.D., 916.733.7432
kbrowning@impactteendrivers.org
$15,000 Awarded to Students in National “Create Real Impact” Teen Safe Driving Campaign
San Mateo, CA, October 19, 2017 – Impact Teen Drivers and California Casualty continue to be astounded at the quality of entries for the Fall 2017 Create Real Impact contest. After judging 1,000 submissions, a total of $15,000 was awarded for creative efforts to address the dangers of distracted driving by young drivers.
Recipients of $1,500 grand prize educational grants are:
- Madison Cole, Shawnee, KS, in the writing category for the poem, “Little Eyes are Watching You”
- Caitlin Farr, Lizella, GA, in the art category for the poster “Distracted Driving is Dangerous Driving”
- James Diep, San Diego, CA, in the video category for “It Was Only a Second”
- Everen Graves, San Diego, CA, in the music category for the “Keep Your Dreams Alive”
Based on the number of entries, winning schools are South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia; Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Willington, Delaware; and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, Florida. Each school will receive $1,000.
Awards of $500 and $200 went to top vote getters and to the runners up in each category.
The contest encourages peer-to-peer messages and creative expression from students to help stem the tide of distracted and reckless driving, the number one killer of young drivers.
Preventing inattentive driving is more important than ever. The National Safety Council has issued a call to action after a sudden and dramatic rise in traffic deaths the past three years, many caused by reckless actions or drivers not paying attention to the road.
“The Create Real Impact contest is a creative way to empower youth to develop life-saving messaging which is both relevant and effective at reaching peers in their social media comfort zone,” said Kelly Browning, Ph.D., Executive Director, Impact Teen Drivers.
Students ages 14-22 were invited to offer their creative solutions to this critical teen driving danger with essays, artwork, videos and music. Winners were determined by a panel of judges and by online voting.
The winning entries can be viewed at www.createrealimpact.com.
Impact Teen Drivers has reached more than two million teens since 2007 and the Create Real Impact contest began in 2009. California Casualty is a founding partner of the nonprofit and continues to provide support for the contest. California Casualty representatives will help present checks to the winning schools and awardees.
“The importance of this contest can’t be overstated,” said California Casualty CEO Beau Brown. “While insurance can replace a mangled vehicle, we can’t replace a teenager’s life. In a split second, everything for that family changes forever; it’s a terrible tragedy that no one should endure.”
The 2018 Spring Create Real Impact contest will take place after the first of the year. Entries will be taken at www.createrealimpact.com.
Headquartered in San Mateo, California, with Service Centers in Arizona, Colorado and Kansas, California Casualty provides auto and home insurance to educators, firefighters, law enforcement and nurses across the country. Founded in 1914, California Casualty has been led by four generations of the Brown family. To learn more about California Casualty, or to request an auto insurance quote, please visit www.calcas.com or call 1.800.800.9410.