Project Save Our Children Against Drunk Driving Inc.

Our History.

In January of 2006 I was studying our County Report Card. I was alarmed at some of the statistics related to vehicle crashes while under the influence. I began pondering what I could do through my job as Community Educator for a wellness agency (United Lifestyles) to help decrease those numbers. In March at a Safe Kids meeting one of our members showed me an Innocorp magazine, which had the Fatal Vision equipment in it. He very simply suggested that I write a grant for some of those items.
 

In April I was invited to observe a program at a local high school where the sheriff’s department would be using the Fatal Vision Goggles in combination with some borrowed golf carts. These were regular golf carts which didn’t have dual brakes, dual steering wheels or seatbelts. They did not have the safety features that Project Save Our Children Against Drunk Driving incorporate in their program. I jumped at the chance as I had been thinking really hard about the possibilities offered in the magazine. I was very impressed and excited with what I saw at the school, but kept thinking it was just too bad that the sheriff’s department had to borrow all this equipment to put on this event.
 

When I was reading the Innocorp magazine I came across a small article written about none other than Harley Fox who was providing this education on a regular basis in his county in Arkansas. I immediately emailed him and asked many questions-all of which he had answers to. This began our friendship and it was actually the birth of Project Save Our Children Against Drunk Driving in Greenville, Michigan. I decided to write a grant to cover all the start up costs and so began the research, the phone calls, and the writing.
 

I chose an area foundation who specifically stated in their criteria that they were looking for cutting edge educational programs to fund. I knew Project Save Our Children was it. It was pro-active rather than re-active, it would be available for all the schools in our county, plus neighboring counties if they were interested and the program could become self-supporting-the best news of all for a foundation! At the same time I was pulling all of this together an officer from the sheriff’s department happened to have lunch with my boss. He was sharing with her that they were interested in putting together such a program for the county schools. She explained to him that I was already working on it and so the sheriff’s department decided to wait and see how our request turned out, and if we received the funding then they would just assist with our program.
 

In May I received word from the Greenville Area Community Foundation that we had been granted the funding and I remember literally standing in my driveway shaking, because I was so excited.
 

I began to spend money!!! I ordered a specially designed cart (4-seater with dual driving and braking controls), 24 pairs of Fatal Vision Goggles, and a video/DVD lending library which would be available for teachers, the Fatal Reactions program and the Fatal Reflections Program.
I purchased a DVD/VHS player and an LCD screen as well as a printer and a digital camera. I had just enough grant money left (I thought) to purchase an enclosed trailer with which to haul everything to events.
 

I approached a trailer company and they said I could only purchase a trailer for that amount if I was willing to drive to Indiana to pick it up and thereby avoid the shipping costs. I agreed, however the company made a mistake, ended up shipping the trailer and absorbed the shipping cost themselves.
 

I had one more mission to accomplish to truly take Project Save Our Children on the road and that was to get someone to donate a truck. I began visiting local car dealerships. I simply presented the program and asked them to think about how they could help. On my fourth visit the dealership on the spot said they thought they had a truck I could use. An hour later Project Save Our Children had a shiny red Dodge pickup donated by Ray Winnie Auto Sales in Greenville to match our shiny red trailer.
 

In the spring when I had earnestly begun to formulate the program I approached the SADD group in our town’s high school. I presented the program to them to gain feedback and support. I wanted teenagers’ input on the program. Now, with each school we visit with the program, I also ask to meet with their SADD group. My desire is that teens will take ownership of this program and “sell” it to their classmates.
 

In August I presented Project Save Our Children Against Drink Driving to all the district superintendents in the county, offering this free program to their schools. We have visited two schools-one in October and the other in December. In November we did a presentation for the Greenville Area Foundation so contributing members could “experience” impaired driving in the golf cart. We are booked in local schools for February, March, April and May of 2007.
In order to continue funding for the program I sell advertising on the side of our trailer. I go to businesses in the county, explain the program and ask them if they would like to purchase advertising in support of Project Save Our Children. To date we have seven proud sponsors listed on the trailer and expect to gain much more support in 2007. These funds help cover the cost of gas to get to events, maintenance on the equipment, etc.
 

Our chapter is in its infancy. We would not have accomplished what we have without the help from Harley, the vision and support from the Greenville Area Foundation, the donation from USA. Trailers and Ray Winnie Auto Sales. We could not present this fantastic program without the support of our county Sheriff’s Department and the help of volunteers. We expect to grow over the next few years and our goal is to see those drunk driving crash statistics diminish in our county.

The history of the founding chapter can be found HERE.