"I Don't Want to Miss" Contest for Teens!

Most of you already know that I am a school counselor. Well, it seems like half of our school, faculty included, has come down with the flu! I had something that resembled the flu just a couple of weeks ago myself! The scary part is that it is effecting some people who received the flu shot! I can only imagine how bad it is for those who did not receive the flu shot!

Did you know that the CDC expanded the flu vaccination guidelines to include all children six months through 18 years old? Graham got his flu shot when he was 6 months old. I make sure to get one every year. Based on that information, only 16% of parents of teens are aware of this recommendation. I do understand that there are several reasons why parents may opt out of this (immune disorders, etc.).

I have heard from some of these teens about all of the things they are missing out on! Ball games, clubs, tournaments, and just hanging out with friends in general. The main thing they are missing is school! There is so much pressure to perform well in high school now, because college has become HIGHLY competitive! The flu takes them out for at least a week, which at our school, is like missing several weeks!

American Idol finalist Brooke White has teamed up with infectious disease specialist and author of Germ Proof Your Kids, Dr. Harley Rotbart, and The Clorox Company to launch I Don't Want to Miss..., a national contest that puts teens in the spotlight to talk about flu education and prevention. The heart of the program is a PSA contest in which teens can submit a short 45-60 second video entry to IDontWantToMiss.com, sharing what they most don't want to miss out on and why that makes flu prevention important. What a fun, creative challenge for our teens and their friends!

The winning contestant will win an acoustic concert from former American Idol finalist Brooke White at his/her school! The second place winner will receive a guitar autographed by Brooke White herself, and three runners-up will win autographed photos.

I know how creative teens can be, and this would be a fun way to win a pretty cool prize for their school while raising awareness for an important cause! Go check it out!

If you want to twitter about this use hashtag #dontwanttomiss.