DCH Auto Group Sponsors Creation of Local SADD Chapters at Four High Schools

NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2008 - DCH Auto Group has teamed up with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) for an unprecedented sponsorship deal to fund the creation and support of local SADD chapters at four high schools in California and New Jersey. With DCH Auto Group's support, SADD chapters will be introduced or reinforced at Santa Clara and Rio Mesa High Schools, both in Oxnard, California, and Freehold Township and Sayreville War Memorial High Schools in New Jersey. SADD is the leading student-run organization empowering young people to develop education and prevention initiatives in their schools and communities.

On board with SADD's mission to prevent destructive behavior, DCH Auto Group identified communities where local schools have had recent exposure to the types of problems SADD addresses-particularly risky and impaired driving. Together, SADD and DCH Auto Group hope to help reduce auto tragedies through education, action and advocacy.

"DCH Auto Group is committed to the communities in which our businesses operate, so our partnership with SADD is a natural fit," said DCH Auto Group President and CEO Susan Scarola. "We hope that our work with SADD will ensure that these four high schools have functional chapters as well as set the precedent for other businesses to get involved in their local communities. It is our goal to use these pilot programs as examples of success and to expand to other schools in the future."

In an effort to equip students and advisors with the tools necessary for creating sustainable local SADD chapters, DCH Auto Group sponsored their attendance at the annual SADD convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Their work with these high schools will continue by developing additional SADD chapters, sponsoring local educational events, and providing information about the program for teens and adults in each of their dealerships.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with DCH to help young people make safer decisions," said Penny Wells, SADD's President and Executive Director. "By investing in local teens who are working on a daily basis to help their peers, DCH is modeling the type of hands-on, in-depth commitment necessary to tackle these tough issues. We are particularly pleased to be working with a company knowledgeable about automobiles, since traffic crashes remain the number one cause of death for teens."

"This is so incredible. I have been a part of many groups where there is a lot of talking and nothing ever gets done, but DCH and SADD have made it possible for us to reach out to people in our county to spread the word about making good driving choices," said Nicole Tower, a member of the Freehold Township High School SADD chapter who helped distribute information about the organization at the Lakewood, NJ Blue Claws game last week. "This is an opportunity that would not have happened without help from the adults. We wouldn't have gotten here without your help."

"I enjoy being in SADD because it reinforces my good decisions," said Christa Macagnone, President of Sayreville War Memorial High School SADD Chapter. "Our partnership shows that we can all come together to help others make better decisions. It's not always the popular decision, but it's the right decision."