Chevy, GMAC, And Detroit Schools Unite To Curb Violence

FOR RELEASE: January 29, 2002

Chevy, GMAC, And Detroit Schools Unite To Curb Violence

DETROIT, MI- Chevrolet and GMAC Financial Services teamed with 13 Detroit-area schools today in an effort to curb student violence. This union also marks the local acceleration of a Chevrolet program known as "Chevy R.O.C.K." -- a national initiative dedicated to young people. ROCK stands for Reaching Out to Communities and Kids.

GMAC, through the Chevy ROCK program, is donating $80,000 to the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). Thirteen Detroit schools with established SAVE chapters will receive a portion of the $80,000 for non-violence initiatives. The remaining funds will be donated to other schools in San Diego, San Antonio, Orlando and Tampa in the coming weeks.

"Charles 'Boss' Kettering once said that he believed the greatest education in the world is the education that helps one do the right things when they need to be done," said Chevrolet general manager Kurt Ritter. "I believe organizations like ROCK and SAVE help young people do the right things at the right time, and safe schools are the best learning grounds for those ideals."

Detroit Schools Receiving ROCK Funds The following 13 Detroit-area schools will each receive a $500 grant from GMAC and Chevy ROCK to fund non-violence educational initiatives. Each school will also become eligible for an additional $500 from GMAC's donation to attend the annual SAVE Summit this April in Raleigh, North Carolina:

• Brewer Elementary
• Peter Vetal School
• Carstens Elementary
• Ralph Waldo Emerson School
• Greenfield Union Elementary
• Jane Addams Middle
• Hamilton Elementary
• Marquette Middle
• Marquette Elementary
• Catherine Ferguson Academy
• Marsh Elementary
• Chadsey High School
• Wayne Elementary

"Thanks to GMAC's generous donation, students are becoming pillars of their schools and communities. Many people view students as the problem, but Chevy and GMAC view students as a big part of the solution to safety and violence issues," said Dr. Pamela Riley, executive director of SAVE.

ROCK AND SAVE: TWO ORGANIZATIONS, ONE GOAL
Kurt Ritter established the Chevy ROCK initiative in September 2000. ROCK is Chevrolet's philanthropic initiative dedicated to helping young people develop critical life skills and education needed to live positive and productive lives. ROCK's top priority is to help foster safe educational environments and communities, which ultimately will help youth reach their full potential.

A significant quantity of Chevy ROCK funds sponsor SAVE, a national, school-based nonprofit organization created by students for students that promotes the virtues of peace, civility and nonviolence by helping students of all ages learn how to care for other people (www.nationalsave.org). Today, there are more than 850 registered SAVE chapters with over 88,000 members in 35 states and Canada. SAVE's mission is to promote safe schools and communities by educating students about the effects and consequences of violence, and to engage students in safe extracurricular activities.

Since the inception of Chevy ROCK, Chevrolet and many of its 4,200 dealers have donated nearly $800,000 to SAVE and its national chapters. With Chevrolet's support, SAVE is developing and enhancing its educational materials, educating teachers and students on how to start chapters, and expanding its team of trainers who conduct local SAVE workshops and provide technical assistance to new and existing chapters.

Statistics on School Violence

• Physical attacks without a weapon, theft or larceny, and vandalism are much more common in schools than are more serious incidents. (#1)
• There are 100 times more guns in the hands of children attending American schools than principals have been reporting to Congress. (#2)
• Students ages 12 through 18 were victims of more than 2.7 million total crimes at school. (#3)
• Almost one in five students reported being threatened with a beating. This was a more common experience for middle school students (22%) than it was for high school students (16%). (#4)
• Younger students, ages 12-14, were more likely than older students, ages 15-18, to be victims of crime at school. (#5)

Notes:
#1: A National Study of School Environment and Problem Behavior ( http://www.gottfredson.com/national.htm.);

#2: Guns in School, Hamilton Fish Institute 2000.

#3: Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2000, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, 2000 ( http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001017);

#4: A National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools, Gottfredson Associates, Inc. 2000.

#5: 2000 Annual Report on School Safety, Department of Education and Department of Justice, 2000.