SGWS Launches Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”)—the largest North American wine and spirits distribution company—today announced that it has established the Youth Alcohol Awareness & Education Foundation, Inc., devoted to the prevention of underage drinking. The Foundation will provide funding for programs that support underage drinking prevention in partnership with educational institutions and community-based organizations.

The Foundation’s first initiative consists of a partnership with Step Up For Students, a nonprofit organization that helps manage the income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, and EverFi, Inc., the leading education technology innovator that empowers K-12, higher education, and adult learners with the skills needed to be successful in life.

With the partnership, the Foundation has issued a grant to Step Up for Students to fund the implementation of the Everfi AlcoholEdu® for High School online curriculum in 25 public and private high schools throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Everfi AlcoholEdu® for High School is a 1.5 hour, interactive course that includes online activities and teacher-facilitated discussions. The platform engages students with science-based alcohol education and interactive exercises, providing an individualized experience that changes perceptions, motivates behavior change and supports healthier decisions regarding alcohol.

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“We have a long history of promoting the prevention of underage drinking by working with our industry trade partners and customers to reduce teen access to alcohol,” said Wayne Chaplin, CEO of Southern Glazer’s. “This new program, which brings education and awareness directly to high schools students, enhances our commitment to this effort and enables us to have an even greater positive impact on this important social issue.”

Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Florida is a Step Up For Students partner school and one of the first to sign up for the program. Michell Llovet, Student Activities Director for the school said, “The program gives the students the knowledge and power to make healthier choices for their body and their future. It is very well designed and provides another avenue that we could use to reach our students.”

“Southern Glazer’s has been a long-standing partner with Step Up For Students, helping us provide much needed access to quality education to thousands of young people in Florida,” said Dr. Carol Thomas, Vice President, Office of Student Learning, Step Up For Students. “Getting involved in this program was a natural extension of our existing relationship and we are thrilled to be able to help bring these critical life skills to students in our own partner private schools, as well as public schools throughout South Florida.”

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“The high school years represent a critical window to set the foundation for responsible drinking behavior,” said EverFi President and Co-Founder Jon Chapman. “AlcoholEdu has evidence demonstrating the program’s impact in reducing negative consequences associated with underage drinking and we are very excited to be working with Step Up For Students and Southern Glazer’s Youth Alcohol Awareness & Education Foundation to empower young people in South Florida to make safer and healthier decisions about alcohol.”

La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miami, Florida, another Step Up For Students partner school, has also signed up for the program. Edgard Arana, High School Social Sciences teacher at La Progresiva commented, “This generation of high school students is getting ready to plunge into a college atmosphere saturated with misconceptions of alcohol. Providing these students with a program that presents accurate information about alcohol in a manner that is relevant and easily accessible is not only beneficial, but absolutely necessary.”

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