HOUSTON, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (Nationwide) kicked off prom season in Houston with a special celebrity performance by R&B music artist Bow Wow at Sam Houston High School (SHHS). MADD's THINK.Prom program, which is nationally sponsored by Nationwide, asks students to pledge to be alcohol and drug free during prom. Statistics show that traffic deaths among teens during typical prom weekends are higher than any other time of year. The SHHS junior/senior prom is April 27.

"We are proud to work with Nationwide to provide the THINK.Prom program because the choices students make today impact their lives tomorrow," said Glynn Birch, MADD National President. "We are asking teens to leave alcohol out of prom, never ride with someone who's been drinking and to buckle up. We want students to remember every detail of one of the biggest nights of the year."

In front of nearly 800 juniors and seniors, Bow Wow shared how he is able to stay alcohol and drug free despite celebrity pressures. The 20-year-old chart-topping artist sang the hit "Shortie Like Mine" from his fifth album, The Price of Fame, and asked the teens to pledge to party safe and sober on prom night.

"People don't understand what comes with being famous," said Bow Wow. "There are pressures as an artist and an individual. The choice to not drink underage or use drugs is a personal choice. It's not always the easiest choice to make, but I've decided not to do the party scene, and it's the right choice for me and my life as a rapper, actor and entrepreneur."

During typical prom weekends in 2005, 290 young people ages 15-20 were killed in alcohol-related crashes -- of those 198 deaths involved a 15-20- year-old impaired driver.

Erin Garza, whose 17-year-old brother was killed when the car he was riding in was hit by a teenaged drunk driver, told her story and said to the students, "Imagine if something happened to you. Your siblings, parents and friends would be heartbroken. By choosing to have fun at prom without alcohol, you will be safe and in control."

"Prom is an important part of being a teenager," said Bill Windsor, Nationwide Vice President of Safety. "We want teens to have good memories about their prom, not memories of some tragic event. We want teens to think about making the right choices and to party safe and sober during prom, and throughout the rest of the year."

At the event, the SHHS drum line kept things energetic as students entered the auditorium, and the varsity cheerleaders performed a special cheer to the words of the THINK.Prom pledge. Marla Trujillo, senior class president, shared how the THINK.Prom will be implemented in school through "pledge drives" where teens sign individual pledge sheets and the giant banner that will be hung at the prom dance. The students will also watch a special prom DVD at school before the big day.

"The Houston Independent School District is excited about having MADD work with our teens on the THINK.Prom program," said Peter Messiah with HISD Safe and Drug Free Schools. "We know that there is a greater risk of alcohol- related injuries during prom season, and we look forward to collaborating with our partners to ensure the safety of our students."

THINK.Prom is part of the THINK. year-round, alcohol-use prevention program launched last fall by MADD and Nationwide to empower students to pledge to be alcohol and drug free during special occasions such as prom and homecoming, and all year long.

Judging is underway in the first-ever THINK.Prom Video Scrapbook Contest. Keeping the theme Party Safe. Party Sober(TM) in mind, high school students are invited to enter a video up to two minutes in length through April 16. The winning student will be announced in May and will receive a $500 award from Nationwide. The student's school will also receive an award of $1,000 from Nationwide.

Schools participating in the THINK.Prom program receive a pledge pack that includes a giant pledge signing banner, individual pledge sheets, a powerful DVD to show in the classroom or to an entire assembly, artful awareness posters, ID cards, event hand stamp and giveaways such as penny stickers, party mints and rear-view mirror tags. Schools also receive safety posters for spring break and graduation. Through the THINK Web site, students can receive rewards for making good choices including free Napster downloads, text messaging, screensavers and cell phone wall paper.

Alcohol is the No. 1 drug problem among youth killing more young people than all other illicit drugs combined. More than 6,000 young people die each year due to underage drinking-related causes. In 2005, 2,035 15-20 year olds were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes-an average of six deaths per day. Of those deaths, 1,387 youth aged 15-20 died in crashes involving a 15- 20-year-old alcohol-impaired driver.

Editor's Note: The media can download broadcast quality video, sound bites and audio, as well as contact local MADD offices at http://www.madd.org/think. For more information on the THINK.Prom program, visit http://www.think.madd.org/.

About MADD

MADD has a long-standing history of supporting safe choices among today's youth in schools and in communities through education and prevention programs for elementary to high school students and working to limit alcohol access to youth. Founded in 1980, MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, grassroots organization with approximately 400 affiliates and 2 million members and supporters nationwide. For more information, please visit http://www.madd.org/ or call (800) GET-MADD.

About Nationwide(R)

Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a diversified insurance and financial services organization, with more than $158 billion in assets. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services. (http://www.nationwide.com/ ) Nationwide, the Nationwide framemark, and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

CONTACT: Amy George of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, +1-469-420-4493;
or Norm Uhl of Houston Independent School District, +1-713-556-6393; or
Elizabeth Stelzer of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, +1-614-249-1025

Web site: http://www.madd.org/
http://www.think.madd.org/
http://www.madd.org/think
http://www.nationwide.com/