Maine’s Spirits Industry presented Secretary of State Charlie Summers with contributions to purchase 500 copies of the video “Point of No Return,” a video with a powerful lesson for young people on the dangers of drinking and driving.
During his “Conversations With the Communities,” Kennebunk Police Chief Robert MacKenzie, who invited the Secretary to view the film, approached Secretary Summers. “I was so profoundly affected by the message of ‘Point of No Return’ and impressed by the quality of the production, that I wanted to make sure every high school student across Maine has the opportunity to see this for themselves,” stated Summers.
Video Creations locally produced “Point of No Return,” after Chief MacKenzie approached them with his idea, and stars Kennebunk High School students. “The idea was to protect the kids in our community—in Kennebunk. We had no idea that it would turn out like this. They say it takes a village to raise a child, what we focused our time, energy and resources on was that it also takes a village to protect a child,” said Video Creations President L. Blake Baldwin.
Secretary Summers reached out to Chairman of the Maine Liquor Commission Peter Danton to discuss Teen Driver Safety and the message of “Point of No Return,” along with his desire to provide each high school with a copy of the video. Maine Beverage Company contacted the Office of the Secretary of State and committed to raising and/or donating the required money to make this effort possible. “Maine Beverage Company is proud to be associated with this great program and we commend Secretary Summers on his passion for this cause. We hope this contribution will further the cause of reducing the incidents of teenagers driving under the influence of alcohol,” said Maine Beverage Company President and CEO, Dean Williams.
Other contributors include White Rock Distilleries, MS Walker, Sidney Frank, Charles Jacquin and Cold River Vodka
“Former Senator Peter Danton played a key role in making this project a success. I want to thank him and all the contributors who participated in making the wide-spread distribution of this video a reality,” commented Summers. Secretary Summers is presenting a copy of this video to each of the high schools he brings his message of Young Driver Safety Awareness to and is making it available, free of charge, to all high schools across Maine. Additionally, because eight of the ten deadliest days for teen drivers occur between May and August, Secretary Summers is also encouraging schools to show this video to the entire student body in an effort to highlight the dangers of Drinking and Driving during prom and graduation season.
