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Contact: Brian Sansoni, The Soap and Detergent Association,
202-662-2517 (office), 301-802-5503 (cell), bsansoni@cleaning101.com

“Healthy Schools, Healthy People” Program Receives “Award of Excellence”

SDA/CDC Project Aims To Reduce School Absenteeism

Program One of 15 Nationwide Honored By American Society of Association Executives

Washington , DC , April 25, 2005 – The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) is the recipient of an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for its Healthy Schools, Healthy People: It’s a SNAP program. The honor is part of ASAE’s 2005 Associations Advance America Awards program.

SNAP – the School Network for Absenteeism Prevention – is a joint project of SDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Launched in 2002, SNAP (www.itsasnap.org) seeks to improve hand hygiene habits among middle school personnel and students to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and reduce related absenteeism.

SDA was one of only 15 non-profit groups to receive an ASAE 2005 Award of Excellence. The Associations Advance America Awards program recognizes associations that “propel America forward with innovative projects in education, skills training, business and social innovation, knowledge creation, citizenship and community service.”

This award puts SDA in the running for the Summit Award, ASAE’s top award for association programs.

“SDA and its members have a clear, stated purpose: To enhance health and the quality of life through cleaning products and practices. Our ongoing alliance with CDC is just one example of how SDA and its members are working to fulfill that purpose every single day,” said Ernie Rosenberg, SDA President and CEO.

Each year, one middle school receives a national award from SNAP for student efforts to encourage hand hygiene education and activities. Examples of these efforts include:

Eighth grade students in a California school district's health class were recently awarded top honors for raising awareness about the importance of hand hygiene with their new W.A.S.H. (Water and Soap Help) program. The students teamed up with a television studio to lead district assemblies to create an infomercial. They also are distributing silicone awareness bands that have been branded with proper hand washing messages.

Students from Crownover Middle School in Corinth, Texas, were honored for their multidisciplinary approach to bringing hand hygiene into the curriculum. Several different departments joined together to implement the program. Science and math students took cultures and recorded data. Arts and skills-for-living students made posters in English and Spanish. Theater, technology, and language arts students collaborated on a hand hygiene video that premiered at a PTA meeting.

Students from Goodrich Middle School in Lincoln, Nebraska, created a comprehensive handwashing campaign including a DVD movie on proper handwashing techniques, a computer slide presentation, T-shirts, bookmarks, and multilingual posters on good hand hygiene. The Goodrich campaign was then promoted school-wide and complemented by school nurse demonstrations and awards for students with low absenteeism.

“Teaching children important hygiene skills can make a world of difference in improving their health and reducing school absenteeism," said Nancy Bock, SDA Vice President of Education. “It is increasingly vital that children fully understand and practice good hygiene behaviors. That’s what SNAP is all about.”

The SNAP program is available to middle schools throughout the school year. For information on how to participate in the SNAP program, visit the SNAP website at www.itsasnap.org or contact SNAP@cleaning101.com.

The Soap and Detergent Association (www.cleaning101.com), the U.S. Home of the Cleaning Products Industry SM, is the non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; their ingredients and finished packaging; and oleochemical producers. SDA members produce more than 90 percent of the cleaning products marketed in the U.S. The SDA is located at 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005.