Denver, CO (June 24, 2008) – The Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation (CSPFF), administrators of the Colorado State Patrol’s (CSP) “Alive at 25” program, announced today that NBA All-Star and U.S. Olympian Carmelo Anthony has partnered with the “Alive at 25” initiative to promote responsible driving amongst young adults. Statistics have found that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of all persons aged 15-24 and together, the CSPFF, CSP and Carmelo Anthony, are committed to educate young adults, promote responsible decision-making, and help reduce the fatality rate in the State of Colorado.

“I look forward to making a positive impact in the lives of others, especially for those in my age group,” says Carmelo Anthony. “As a leader and a role model, and also as someone they can relate to, I want to encourage teens and young adults to learn from their experiences and make the right decisions for a healthy future.”

“Alive at 25” is a 4.5 hour classroom curriculum specifically designed for the 15-24 year age group. The program, which Anthony will attend as a student and complete the coursework required, raises students’ awareness to the root causes of the needless fatality crashes that plague this age group: poor decision-making, inexperience, risk-taking, impaired driving, distractions, speed, the failure to wear a seatbelt and the unanticipated consequences of poor decision-making in and around automobiles. “Alive at 25” also actively reaches students through high school assemblies across the state, and Anthony is personally committed to participating in these assemblies during the 2008-09 school year - sharing his life experiences with students and helping serve as a guest speaker, mentor and peer. A public service announcement (PSA) featuring Anthony will also be developed for distribution, targeting teens where they spend most of their time – online. Anthony, through The Carmelo Anthony Foundation, will also make a donation to the “Alive at 25” program in an effort to help the CSPFF and CSP continue expanding and improving more lives of young adults.

In 2007, “Alive at 25” graduated over 14,000 students through its Colorado program, worked with more than 170 Colorado state and local courts to provide the course as a sentencing option, and partnered with 10 Colorado law enforcement agencies. Over the past four years, “Alive at 25” has conducted high school assemblies at 105 Colorado schools, has reached more than 106,500 high school teens which in part has helped to reduce Colorado’s under-25 fatality rate by 35%. In a recent survey conducted of “Alive at 25” graduates, 89% of the respondents indicated they believed they would be a safer driver as a result of taking the class and 92% of the respondents identified that they believed the class helped them improve their driving knowledge and skills.

“Our joint educational effort with the Colorado State Patrol to reduce crashes and their resulting injuries and fatalities through public awareness and education has been based on the premise that good people can make bad decisions in and around motor vehicles that can have devastating consequences. Sharing this message effectively with teens and young adults is challenging and requires constant innovation. We are excited to partner with Mr. Anthony and know that creating change in the social norms of young adults takes a village of interest and support. Mr. Anthony’s involvement with our program will help us to continue to reach young impressionable minds in an innovative way” says John Anderson II, Deputy Director of the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation.

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Contact:

For Carmelo Anthony:TheresaTran

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