Mayor Vince Evans and the City of Conyers, Georgia recently honored Beyond the Bell founder and CEO with the proclamation of the inaugural “Sandra Dean Day” on Sept. 15.

Sandra Dean founded Beyond the Bell in 2002, a program designed to reduce the early onset of alcohol and marijuana use in youth ages nine to 20. Beyond the Bell offers life skills classes to youth and their parents, offering them the tools they need to succeed in life given certain situations and circumstances around them. Along with Beyond the Bell’s success in Conyers and Rockdale County, the program has also been implemented in the City of Savannah, DeKalb and Upson counties. Most recently, they have continued to expand, opening a new location in Macon-Bibb county on Friday, Oct. 1.

“I am so grateful for this honor and thrilled to be able to share this celebration with the kids supported by Beyond the Bell. This day is not for me. It is for the youth and families whose lives have been forever changed by Beyond the Bell’s programs and efforts,” said Dean. “Our team is strong and passionate, our mission is important, and our programs are impactful!”

Beyond the Bell offers programs in local school systems including the Botvin Life Skills Training, which consists of a seven-week groundbreaking substance abuse and violence prevention program which is designed to promote mental health and positive youth development. They also implemented the “Positive Social Norms” campaign which focuses on the fact that people’s behavior often is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.” The problem is that people usually severely misperceive the typical behaviors or attitudes of their peers. For example, if people believe that the majority of their peers drink, then they are more likely to drink. Using social norms marketing to inform people that most of their peers do not drink can potentially lead them to avoid drinking.

For more information about Beyond the Bell and its programs/resources, please visit www.beyondthebellkids.org.