TO: YourHub.com / Post-News Community Giving Program

My favorite non-profit project: SAFE pre-summer safety fest

Organization: DRIVE SMART Evergreen-Conifer, Inc.

Why Drive Smart was formed: It seemed that every year a teenager died on the curvy roads of the Evergreen-Conifer mountain area. Finally, in May 1993, after another in the long series of crashes, a group of concerned citizens came together as a Teen Driving Safety Task Force, which became DRIVE SMART Evergreen-Conifer in 1994. With the Mission Statement to "work in partnership with business, education, civic, community and governmental agencies to develop solutions to transportation safety issues, and to change attitudes and behaviors in order to reduce traffic related injuries and fatalities," DRIVE SMART has education and prevention as its primary focus.

Project:S.A.F.E. 1st Annual Pre Summer Safety Fest, Saturday May 12, 2007 10 am to 2 pm,1892 Bergen Pkwy, Evergreen, Co. 80439

Why: S.A.F.E. Pre Summer Safety Fest (Safety Alliance For Everyone). This is a fabulous collaboration among multiple sectors of the community to provide education to families to help prevent accidental injuries and deaths in children of all ages in the summer months to come.

Please see attached list of sponsors and participants.

This event fulfills the DRIVE SMART Mission Statement "to work in partnership with business, education, civic, community and governmental agencies." The SAFE committee sees this as the first annual such safety fair and is planning to set aside seed money for the second. Extra funds in support of this year's inaugural event would help immensely toward this goal.

Why do we need extra help with this project? DRIVE SMART's primary fundraiser was snowed out, putting this and other valuable programs in jeopardy.

Although initially focused on school programs, DRIVE SMART's mission was to promote safe driving attitudes and behaviors to the community as a whole. "Skate the Lake" came about in response to this quest. What could be a more fitting message regarding the importance of "driving smart" than a local venue for an alcohol free family-oriented event celebrating New Years Eve? In addition, the DRIVE SMART mission of forming partnerships with local agencies and businesses was fulfilled while producing the event. The inaugural evening, in 1996, was a great success. Skate the Lake grew into becoming Drive Smart's major fundraiser as well as a signature community event. Subsequent to Skate the Lake 2006's cancellation due to unsafe conditions from all the snowstorms, DRIVE SMART is now facing a budge crisis.

We know DRIVE SMART is making a difference: our community has not been suffering through car crashes and fatalities at the previous rate.

There is no real quantitative way to measure a "prevention" agenda, but besides noticeably less fatal car crashes, DRIVE SMART, since it's founding in 1993 supported entirely by volunteers, has accomplished the following:

ð Drive Smart All-Day transportation safety programs at high schools - 4 at Evergreen, 2 at Conifer

ð Skate the Lake New Years Eve celebrations annually since 1996 (except 2006)

ð Participation in 16 community safety fairs, in partnership with Wal-Mart; Evergreen, Indian Hills and Elk Creek Fire Departments; Kiwanis

ð 87 Mary Fly Drivers Ed scholarships awarded since 1997

ð More than 600 car seats checked; approx 200 replacement carseats provided to families in need, since 1998

ð Presentation of Buckle Bear safety belt program to approx 1,000 pre-school and early elementary aged children at 15 schools annually since 1997

ð Funding $5,000 worth of scholarships through Evergreen Scholarships/Bootstraps annually since 2002.

ð Distribution of video/DVD, "Driving: A Rite of Passage," along with information on the graduated licensing law and available driving schools, to 9 th graders and their families annually since 2001 (approx 600 per year)

ð Opportunities for court-sentenced community service hours.

ð Promotion of educational programs, AARP Driver Safety class, Alive at 25, and Beyond Blind Faith, annually since 1997

SPONSORS Of Event:

Drive Smart Evergreen/Conifer

Click It Or Ticket

Colorado Division of Wildlife

Safe Kids Denver

Evergreen Fire/Rescue

Evergreen Parks & Recreation

N.E.A.T. (North Evergreen Activities Trails)

Safe Routes 2 Schools

Big O Tires Evergreen

Evergreen/Conifer Pediatrics

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

Evergreen Vision

Stop The Choking Game

OTHER PARTICIPANTS:

Colorado State Patrol

Colorado Department Of Transportation

Operation Lifesaver

Jefferson County DA's Office Internet predator program

Evergreen Chorale

Safe 2 Tell

Dr's Strange, College, and Regan

New West Internal Medicine

Red Cross: Disaster Preparedness

Jefferson County Animal Control

Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado

Mountain Resource Center/Bridges To Peace

Evergreen Public Access Defibrillation

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office CLOWN

Colorado Childproofers

Colorado SIDS Program

Jefferson County Traffic Unit

Jefferson County K-9 Unit

Jefferson County OPEN SPACE

Take A Kid Fishing Program

Children's Diabetes Foundation

Jefferson County Public Schools and Transportation

Wilmot PTA

Heaney Family Chiropractor

Higher Ground

Master Drive

Evergreen Garden Club

Flight For Life

Evergreen Library Summer Reading Program

For more information about this event please email us at staff@drivesmarte-c.org or call 303-674-9683