Valerie Claunch, Melissa Howell, and Patrick Linnehan teamed up for their 10th grade English class impact project by holding bake sale with proceeds donated to DASH. They spent Saturday, May 28, 2011 in front of the Franklin Farm Giant grocery store handing out brochures and selling their homemade goodies for donations. Valerie explained, “After the project was finished, I realized how many people are unaware of what dating abuse is. For example, we asked one lady to take a flyer and she said she was too old to date, not getting the idea of what D.A.S.H. was all about. Another man accepted a flyer and then followed up with saying he was unaware of dating abuse.” As part of their project, they photographed their day of baking and created a PowerPoint presentation for the class. The team was able to raise $360 for DASH! “Hopefully, because we handed out flyers, those who accepted them and read them will stop an abusive relationship if they see one near them,” said Valerie.
Kelly Stofko, neighbor of the Russell family, and her classmate, Caroline Herodet also chose DASH to benefit from their impact project. They held a school-wide spirit day at Chantilly High School, dedicated to promoting DASH on Friday, June 3, 2011. Kelly said, “We also presented an in-depth Power Point shown to two classes on the effects, myths, and warning signs of dating abuse. We hoped to raise awareness and to educate our classmates on the dangers and the precautions you can take.”