WILMINGTON — Students at a Wilmington high school will have a helping hand in their efforts to prevent school violence.
Emsley A. Laney High School is one of 20 chapters of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) selected to share a $75,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation.
SAVE is a national nonprofit dedicating to promoting school anti-violence programs. The program works through individual student-led chapters to address a broad range of issues, including bullying, crime and reckless driving.
The Allstate Foundation, founded in 1952, has delivered funding grants to SAVE every year since 2005. The Foundation funds nonprofits including groups that support and empower domestic violence survivors and at-risk youth.
Founded in 1989, SAVE grew out of the tragic death of a high school student in Charlotte, N.C., who died attempting to break up an altercation during an off-campus party. Students of the West Charlotte High School first met informally to deal with the trauma. Shortly afterwards they formed the SAVE organization.
Today SAVE has over 2,000 chapters in 48 states. Laney High School’s chapter was dormant for some time, but was revived by students in 2006. The school’s SAVE webpage states they “have become one of the nation’s most active SAVE Chapters.”
Faculty Adviser Beth Scheirer said the Laney High School chapter has 25 active student members. Scheirer was SAVE’s 2009-2010 “National SAVE Advisor of the Year” and has been involved with the school chapter since its resurgence in 2006.
SAVE directors and The Allstate Foundation jointly named Laney High School among the other North and South Carolina recipients on Wednesday, Oct. 26. As part of the grant, the school’s SAVE chapter will have its affiliation costs covered, as well as mini-grant funds for education, training, and community outreach.
For more information on SAVE or starting a SAVE chapter, visit www.nationalsave.org, or contact SAVE at (866) 343-SAVE. For more information on The Allstate Foundation’s grant programs, visit www.AllstateFoundation.org.
