Woburn HS Students, DEA, Elks Give Presentation On Safe Driving

WOBURN, MA — Members of a teen driving program and their partners recently gave a presentation on drug misuse prevention to Woburn Memorial High School students. The Massachusetts DEA Educational Foundation and a local Elks Lodge are partnering with the group to promote safe driving.

More information is included in the press release below from Woburn Public Schools:

Superintendent Matthew Crowley is pleased to share that students in Woburn Memorial High School's Survive the Drive LEARN club recently partnered with the Massachusetts DEA Educational Foundation and the Woburn/Stoneham Elks Lodge #908 to give a presentation on drug misuse prevention and awareness to WMHS students.

Survive the Drive LEARN is a teen driving program that promotes safe drive and ride tips to help stop impaired driving crashes. With support from family and friends, the club was created in memory of WMHS students Jamie Lawton and Cassandra Donovan who died in separate crashes, one as a driver in 2004 and one as a passenger in 2005.

One of the club’s annual events includes hosting a presentation for grade 9 students in wellness classes to discuss the risks associated with substance use. This year, club leaders hosted representatives from the Woburn/Stoneham Elks Lodge #908 and Massachusetts DEA Educational Foundation to give a comprehensive presentation on Friday, May 19, to grades 9 and 10 health and wellness classes. More than 50 students attended.

Rob Manzella, Exalted Ruler for the Woburn Stoneham Elks Lodge #908 -- a national fraternal organization that focuses on charitable causes to support the community -- with Dan Staffieri of the DEA educational foundation hosted the event at WMHS.

"As a father of two teenage daughters, it is alarming how easy it has become to make such a deadly mistake while operating a vehicle. The program was an eye opener," said Manzella. "Brian O’Keefe brought a lot of real-life examples and experiences into the conversation. The Woburn/Stoneham Elks plan on making these types of programs an annual thing."

Brian O'Keefe, New England Field Division Community Outreach Specialist for the DEA and retired officer of the Manchester, NH, Police Department, shared various real-world examples with students that demonstrated the risks associated with drug use and the importance of practicing safe driving habits. Key points of his presentation included current drug trends including opioids, marijuana, alcohol and nicotine, how drug use changes the developing brain, the rise in counterfeit/contaminated drugs, unregulated drugs and overdose risks, changes in access for younger people, and marketing ploys to lure in users for profit.

The Elks Lodge #908 also generously donated $1,000 to Survive the Drive LEARN, which the club will use to purchase car decals, lanyards, and shirts for members.

"I am so thankful that the Woburn/Stoneham Elks Lodge #908 chose to partner with our club to bring their drug prevention program to WMHS students and club members," said LEARN Advisor Loren Baccari. "Rob Manzella and the Elks Lodge #908 and Dan Staffieri from the DEAEF are dedicated to providing programs that support our youth and better our communities. Brian O’Keefe was a dynamic speaker with content that was direct and that students could relate to. I received positive feedback from the students and I’m looking forward to making this an annual event with The Elks and DEAEF. The donation from the ELKS with support from the DEAEF was beyond generous and will be put toward merch to promote our club mission in stopping impaired driving crashes in memory of Jamie Lawton and Cassie Donovan."