Safe Rides Up and Running For GHS Prom

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For the Greenwich High School Class of 2015, prom night is a celebration of all their hard work.
And one program in town is making sure students who may need a ride home after the festivities get there safely.
“Safe Rides is a teen lead program where teen volunteers help adult drivers offer safe rides home to teenager who often times are intoxicated,”
said Madison Blair, a senior at Greenwich High School and President of the Junior United Way of Greenwich.
“We are not encouraging teen drinking. What we are doing is preventing teen drinking and driving,” said James Boutelle, Executive Director of the Transportation Association of Greenwich.
The Safe Rides program was once run by the Red Cross, but when the organization shifted focus,
students wanted to get the program back up and running.
“The First Selectman’s Youth Commission really became involved with the Safe Rides program when a member of the commission came forward and said that Safe Rides was no longer operating, and we thought we should really do something to either create a new program or bring back the old program,” said James Plewniak, a junior at Greenwich High School and Chairman of the First Selectman’s Youth Commission.
Jennifer Byxbee, Youth Services Coordinator for the Town of Greenwich said, “There was a need for it. There had been children who were calling the hotline and finding out that Safe Rides was no longer operating. That was last spring right around prom season and the children were anxious that Safe Rides was such an integrated part of their culture, not to have that service right before such a big event was critical.”
Now with a $5,000 grant from the Junior League of Greenwich and the help of the First Selectman’s Youth Commission,
the Transportation Association of Greenwich and the Greenwich United Way, Safe Rides is ready for roll for prom on Saturday, June 6th.
“The teens will be answering the phone. The teens will be riding with the driver in the vehicles. They are doing basically everything except drive,” said Boutelle.
“Knowing that we can possibly prevent any dangerous driving means the world to almost the entire town,” said Victoria Rojo, a member of the Safe Rides Board.
The Safe Rides hotline will open at 10:00 pm on Saturday, June 6th for the Greenwich High School Senior Prom.
Students can call 203-869-8445 from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am.
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