Rebirth of NATURALHIGH.ORG

NATURALHIGH.ORG has recently been relaunched!! Under the creative expertise of our new website management company, PIXEL LAVA, the site is now fully functioning with the addition of a NH Celebrity page, a Press and Sponsorship page, and a resource spot for Parents and Educators. We would like to take a minute to thank owner, Ame Stanko, for her work, passion, and discount; keeping our site fresh and our costs affordable. Pixel Lava Interactive provides web development and graphic design services. They work with the latest industry-standard technologies to provide reliable solutions to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses and nonprofits.

But that's not all, David Hedge, a Student Assistance Counselor from McLaughlin Middle School just won $1,000 for his school simply by filling out our DVD Feedback Form on www.naturalhigh.org. Feedback on our DVDs from the teachers is very valuable to us. We use their ratings, concerns and suggestions when planning different aspects of future DVD content. View the Feedback we have received so far here.

4th Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Tournament

For the Second year in a row, the Foundation manned a booth at the Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Tournament in Encinitas Moonlight Beach. As you all know Switchfoot is a band that was featured in Natural High 3. Every year they put on a free surf, concert and beach event to benefit a local children’s nonprofit in San Diego. This year money was raised for Stand Up for Kids. With surf, sun, and music this event attracted a large southern California crowd and SMF had the opportunity to introduce and meet a lot of new people. At the end of the day, Drew Shirley, the emcee and one of Switchfoot’s band members, announced the winner of our IPOD raffle prize, Jenna Lizerbram. Jenna was ecstatic she won. This is a great day for the whole family and I encourage everyone to add it to their calendars next year!

Sober N Sexy Fasion Show Benefit

May 29, 2008 - Glum-Lot-Not! Productions a cause-based social networking

community put on the First Annual Sexy ‘n Sober Fashion Show to raise awareness and funds for Sundt Memorial Foundation and Natural High.org.

Billed as an Evening of Fashion and Unfermented Fun, this was a 100% alcohol and drug-free event which included appetizers, a fashion show, a silent auction, and a DJ.

During the event, The Foundation was able to share its message with a whole new demographic and raise over $1,000 for the DVD Series! We would like to sincerely thank Stu Weintraub with WMG Media and Nurit Rakib with Simply Fabulous Events for putting on a fantastic evening, choosing SMF as the beneficiaries, and for their passion to not only take the Natural High message to students but also to their leaders; adults. The event was the first of its kind, promoting fun and socializing without the use of drugs or alcohol. We would like to thank all of our donors and friends who came out that night to support us!

About GlumLotNot! Productions

Glum-Lot-Not Productions offers cause-based monthly social and business networking events that cater to people who like to play, party, and network for business without the distraction of mind altering additives. Future events include ski trips, cruises, golf tournaments, bike tours, Chargers and Padres games, cook-offs, comedy nights, live music shows, business mixers and trade shows, and more. GlumLotNot Productions is in no way related to, affiliated with, nor does it endorse any formal or informal alcohol or drug recovery program. GlumLotNot Productions is headquartered in San Diego, California.  To learn more, visit GlumLotNot Production’s website at www.glumlotnot.org or call toll free: 800-944-0966.

Cinco De Mayo – Celebrate with Dignity

Early on May 5, 1862, General Laurencez led 6,000 French troops toward Puebla, Mexico, just 100 miles from Mexico City. General Ignacio Zaragoza, a Texas-born Mexican, with a force of 4,000 troops, many of them agricultural workers armed with antiquated rifles and machetes, was able to defeat a well-outfitted French army and stop the invasion of the country. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots and helped to develop a needed sense of national unity. The holiday of Cinco de Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates that victory.        

     The Cinco de Mayo Con Orgullo Coalition was formed with 12 participating member organizations to educate youth organizations, parent groups, community-based organizations, health providers and elected officials about alcohol-related problems and policy solutions. The Coalition provides leadership to the highly-successful Cinco de Mayo Con Orgullo Campaign. The Cinco de Mayo con Orgullo Coalition coordinates alcohol-free, non-industry sponsored Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout San Diego County, weaving the family-friendly, alcohol-free policy message into the festivities. 

     A very large player in commercializing Cinco de Mayo is the alcohol industry with its increasingly sophisticated strategies to promote its products to Latinos. This year, to counter the alcohol industry’s promotion of the Cinco de Mayo holiday, the San Diego Cinco de Mayo Con Orgullo Coalition challenged alcohol retailers in San Diego County to refrain from using the Cinco de Mayo holiday to promote alcohol sales. Nearly 1000 postcards containing this year’s campaign slogan “Celebrate with Dignity” along with a message requesting that Cinco de Mayo not be used for alcohol promotion were mailed to bars, restaurants, and other alcohol retailers. As a follow-up to the mailing, members of the San Diego County Youth Leadership Project (including the Latino Youth Council) took the postcards to several establishments and made the request in person. 

     Many establishments agreed with the policy and pledged to not use the holiday as a means to sell more alcohol. The youth awarded those that did with a certificate that could be displayed so customers would recognize the owner’s interest in lessening the problems associated with alcohol abuse, thus reinforcing the message that Cinco de Mayo should be a celebration of pride, cultural identity and determination and not a drinking holiday.

     To engage students in the importance of celebrating the Cinco de Mayo holiday with pride, City Heights’ high school students were invited to participate in an essay contest. They were to write about the importance of the Latino celebration, describe the role of the celebration as part of the Latino culture, and expose the alcohol and tobacco industries for their part in targeting Latinos, specifically youth. The top three essayists, Rocio Hernandez and Jennifer Meza, both juniors at Hoover High School and Sajiya Abdirahman, were recognized at Mid City’s Cinco de Mayo festival by Maria de los Remedios Gomez Arnau, the Mexican Consul-General.

          The festival, held on May 2nd at City Heights Urban Village, was attended by nearly 1500 people. Families were treated to free events with performances by Mariachi band, Ballet Folklorico, and Aztec Dancers. Capoeira dancers, accompanied by percussion instruments, engaged youth in a fun exhibition of this martial art set to music. Information booths that promote public health messages and services for families were on hand as well as traditional Mexican cuisine. The Sundt Memorial Foundation set up a Natural High booth, where we passed out free copies of Natural High 3, and raffled off a $100 Apple Gift Card for those who signed up for more information.

0ver 1000 People Attend 420 Remix Event

At the end of April, the Sundt Memorial Foundation joined the North Coastal Prevention Coalition to host their 420 Remix Event designed to take back the unofficial pot smoker’s holiday;4/20 from the marijuana smoking subculture. The idea is to give youth a safe, fun and unthreatening environment where they can spend the day, away from the pressure to smoke. 

“While parents may not believe their teens are exposed to marijuana, data show the opposite. By the time they are high school juniors, approximately 40% of teens have tried marijuana, and 20% report using it in the past month (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2005, Tri-City region). More youth in San Diego County smoke marijuana than cigarettes, and 85% of high school juniors report that marijuana is fairly or very easy to obtain (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2005). Furthermore, driving while high is a serious risk underestimated by teens and adults. Marijuana is the second most frequently found drug, after alcohol, in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes. Teenagers whose parents talk with them about the dangers of drugs and communicate a clear ‘no use’ message are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don’t, yet only one in four teens report having these conversations.” – ncpc.org

The Sundt Memorial Foundation hosted a Natural High booth where we passed out free copies of our latest DVD, Natural High 3 amidst the rocking tunes of up and coming artists; Los Oliver, The Duree, The Funky Kicks, The Leventhour, and Vanity Affair. We also raffled off a signed Tony Hawk Skate Deck and gear won by Marshall Sowko (shown In picture).

With local youth pastor Ray Machado announcing, joking and threading in the drug free message of the event, our staff believed the day successfully communicated the decision to live Naturally High – having fun without the use of drugs and alcohol. The Foundation was thrilled to be a part of this prevention outreach and looks forward to participating in it annually.

New Mission Statement

To influence the hearts and minds of kids by inspiring them to live their natural high and to reject drugs.

We speak the language of youth by using cutting-edge technology, such as DVD's and websites, which use icons, idols and peers to show kids that their natural high is better than drugs.

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New Executive Director 

Michelle Ahearne,previous Sundt Memorial Director in 2004-2006 has rejoined the team this time as Executive Director. Goals for Michelle include developing the Board, stabilizing the budget, and strategically planning organizational structure and partnerships to further the Foundation and exceed its maximum potential. In regards to her absence, Michelle says, "I’m glad to have had the opportunity to assist SMF as an organizational consultant over the past few months and am excited about coming back on staff in this new capacity. This will be an exciting year as SMF develops its infrastructure and positions itself strategically. I am looking forward to working with our board, staff and community supporters to positively affect youth culture locally and nationally". The Foundation warmly welcomes her back and feels her passion, insight and skills are just the right mix at the right time.

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Updated Staff Positions and Bios

Read about the Foundation’s Team, Board Members, and President here

Partnership with CRM Learning:

CRM Learning, a leading provider of video-based training systems, has generously pledged to distribute one Natural High DVD for every CRM Training video that is purchased. CRM Learning provides professionals in business, government, healthcare and education with video based training programsdesigned to improve interpersonal skills and overall organizational effectiveness. They help others improve key competences such as accountability, change management, meeting openers, etc with the potential to truly change behavior for a positive result. Some of their major clients include Walt Disney, Wells Fargo and the Veterans Administration.

Thanks to the active interest of Peter Jordan, President and CEO of CRM Learning, the Sundt Memorial Foundation is guaranteed to reach more donors, parents, and friends while simultaneously affecting students, teachers, and schools with more Natural High DVDs. Jordan’s sincere support in the Foundation's mission of keeping today's youth off drugs and promoting a positive alternative, has paved way for a partnership between these two entities. It is individuals like Peter Jordan and sponsors like CRM Learning that give SMF hope in making change.

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 SMF 5% day at Whole Foods, La Jolla: 

January 9^th 2008, marked a day of community fun and activism as grocery shoppers had the opportunity to not only feed their families, but shop for a cause! Thanks to Trudy Zwerenz, Mark Zwerenz and Jason Gierson, a partnership with Whole Foods Marketplace in La Jolla was created to benefit the mission of the Sundt Memorial Foundation (SMF). Whole Foods generously agreed to donate 5% of the day’s total profits to SMF for the continuation of their Natural High DVD Series (NHDS).

With the help of friends, donors, and the La Jolla community at large, Whole Foods and SMF raised over $4,750 that day for Natural High Substance Abuse Prevention!!! Jason Gierson, Marketing Supervisor at Whole Foods La Jolla, said this was one of the most successful outcomes they have had with this event.

SMF is very grateful to loyal advocates, Mark Zwerenz and mother, Trudy Zwerenz for taking the time and energy to initiate this relationship. Supporters like them, who search deep within their strengths and social networks, not only gather donations but truly build Foundation support and awareness in the long run.  

This opportunity opened doors for SMF to inform the community of the effect of drug and alcohol abuse in their very own home town. We hope more friends and donors are encouraged as to what their skills and contacts can bring to the table. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please share with us at info@sundtmemorial.org, we look forward to hearing from you!

See if your school was on our mailing list:

Natural High 3 was sent to over 114,000 schools across the country September 2007. If you feel that your school did not recieve a DVD, please review our mailing list which is sorted by state and school name. If you did not see your school's name on our list please contact us to recieve your schools free copy.

If your school was on our list and you still have not located the DVD, please see the following list that may help you locate the DVD in your school:

1. Check and see if any of the following recieved the DVD: Principal, Counselor, Substance abuse coordinator.
2. Send a school-wide memo/email informing your colleagues that you are trying to locate the Natural High DVD series.

If you attempted the previous options, it is possible that the DVD was:

• Accidentally thrown-out
• Rejected by the schools mailing department
• Lost in the mailing process through the US Postal Service

We are a very small non-profit organization and due to our limited funding we are only able to provide one DVD per school for each mailing. You may purchase the DVD in our online store here.