WIP

10 Questions with Tony Silveria

by: Heather Watters

Tony Silveria is father to Brandon. He was once an avid businessman yet all this changed one night when Brandon decided to drive home having consumed 2 beers. That night Brandon hit a tree and was brought to hospital where he faced a very long and challenging road to recovery. Brandon had it all; a job, a place on the high school football team, a girlfriend and prospects of attending Boston college on rowing scholarships with hopes of trying out for the US Olympic team. Yet this one act changed everything.

Instead of giving up and letting this personal tragedy rule their life, Tony has devoted 20 years to educating the students of America. Together, Tony and Brandon have delivered ‘Brandon’s story’ to over 3 million students across the USA. Their commitment was recently acknowledged by the US House of Representatives on June 16^th 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3BbPUtnBU

They form part of the Century Council in the USA, http://www.centurycouncil.org/, a non-profit organization funded by distillers to fight against drunk driving and underage drinking. Their story has been told on “Rescue 911”, NBC’s “Today Show”, and the discovery channel’s “HEALTHWATCH.” Their message focuses on encouraging teens to make the right choices, resist peer pressure and realize the trauma created by this kind of personal tragedy.