On September 17, 2013, Maria Tiberi, daughter of 10TVs Dom Tiberi, lost her life in a tragic car accident. The cause of the accident? An unknown distraction. Since that time, Maria's parents have made it their mission to educate the public through their important campaign, Maria's Message, and The Maria Tiberi Foundation.This fall, The Basement Doctor proudly partnered with 10TV and Maria’s Message to spread the word on the dangers of texting while driving and other dangerous distractions on the road. Each Friday night for ten weeks, the First and Ten tailgate party went to a local high school and set up a tailgate event. Maria’s Message was there and provided a booth where teens and other event-goers used driving simulators to experience first-hand the dangerous effects of distracted driving. Once they experienced the simulator, they were asked to take Maria’s Pledge not to text and drive and remain focused on the road. Pledgers then had the opportunity to spin The Basement Doctor Prize Wheel, where they could win prizes from several local businesses and restaurants in their community.
Taking it one step further, The Basement Doctor created a competition amongst the schools to further encourage students to take the pledge and learn more about Maria's Message. The school with the most pledges at the end of 10 weeks would win a large donation to their athletic department. We tracked the progress on social media and had a great response from the schools. Hilliard Darby high school came out on top with 167 pledges. The Basement Doctor presented them with their donation at a basketball game on January 27.
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