The yearly event for Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club, Start With Hello Week, is taking place from Monday, Sept. 22, to Friday, Sept. 26. SAVE Promise Club has set up multiple activities throughout the week to bring the LT community together and create an inclusive environment for every student. 

The purpose of the week is to teach empathy and empower students to make new social connections and include others who may feel isolated, SAVE Promise Club Sponsor Patricia Callahan said. 

“The more we are connected to somebody, the less [likely] we are to commit a violent act against ourselves or others,” Callahan said. “It’s an empowering thing for students to know that they can proactively prevent violence in their school through a simple act of connecting to a fellow student.” 

LT’s SAVE Promise Club was founded in 2018 by Callahan and four students who were passionate about keeping the school safe, she said. The club is affiliated with the Sandy Hook Promise organization, and SAVE helps to promote two of Sandy Hook’s youth violence prevention programs, Start With Hello and Say Something at LT.

“I really like the club because it is a way for students to become involved with school issues,” SAVE Promise Executive Board member Alex Crossan ‘26 said. “Violence is a real issue that could affect our school in a negative way, but you can bring it into a positive light and spread awareness.” 

At LT, Start With Hello is held one week later than the national date due to homecoming, Callahan said. Some of the activities SAVE Promise Club does at both campuses include handing out lemonade to students on Tuesday before school, hosting a meet-and-eat with the PSI Club in the libraries during lunch periods, and showing videos on the TV monitors that spread messages about kindness and violence prevention. 

“This year, SAVE Promise Club is trying to bring back the fundraiser we did in previous years for Start With Hello week, with the money going directly to the Sandy Hook Organization,” Crossan said. 

The importance of these events and the goal of SAVE Promise Club is to show students that with three simple steps–see someone alone, reach out and help, and start with hello–they can make LT safer and a more positive environment for everyone.