Aug. 25, 2010

Briar Cliff Hosts Speaker on Dangers of Binge Drinking

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Briar Cliff University will feature “Death by Alcohol: The Sam Spady Story” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2, in the Saint Francis Center in the Stark Student Center on the Briar Cliff campus.

The featured speaker will be Patty Spady, the mother of Sam Spady, who has a personal story and a public message to share about binge drinking. Spady’s presentation centers on the tragic death of her daughter, Sam, from acute alcohol poisoning at age 19.

“Patty’s message supports our mission and values at Briar Cliff, where we have high expectations for our students to be responsible members of our caring community,” said Steve Janowiak, vice president for Student Development.

In the wake of their daughter’s death, Patty Spady and her husband, Rick, have traveled nationwide to raise awareness about binge-drinking. The couple also has established the Sam Spady Foundation at www.samspadyfoundation.org and produced “Death by Alcohol, the Sam Spady Story” DVDs.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 28 states. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care and compassion. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.

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