By Fred Woods
Editor
Will McKee, a junior at Opelika High School, has recently been selected to be an Alabama Sports Festival Foundation Student Ambassador for 2014-2015.
Will was chosen by an OHS selection committee. He is the son of Ginger and Mike McKee of Opelika.
The Student Ambassador program provides Alabama high school students the opportunity to further develop their skills in the areas of personal growth and development, leadership, community involvement, accepting responsibility, confidence building, networking, time management, public relations, public speaking, planning and marketing.
Will and his fellow student ambassadors will help launch a state-wide “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” campaign to warn Alabama citizens of the often-tragic effects of drinking and driving and the importance of wearing seat belts when in a motor vehicle.
As of the end of August 2014, there had been 323 traffic fatalities; of the total, two-thirds were not wearing seat belts. Alabama has averaged 224 DUI fatalities annually from 2011 through 2013. There were 42,367 seat belt citations in 2013.
During Will’s term as ambassador, he will be presenting information on these topics to schools and businesses in the Opelika area, speaking on local radio and television and sending material to local newspapers.