By Matt Browning
Out of all of the perks being involved SAFE, Douglass High School’s Dylann Hoffman said making a difference is the biggest.
“Throughout all our SADD/ SAFE group does, we are able to get information to people to hopefully help prevent accidents and destructive decisions,” said Hoffman. “Being a part of all of the SADD/ SAFE activities makes it so much more real for me, and it shows how any one of us could be in an accident just like the one our school puts on.”
There is one event the Douglass SAFE program puts on that they find to be the most impactful.
“I would say the most impactful thing we do is our seatbelt counts and the mock car crash,” said Hailey Fenno. “It encourages people to wear their seatbelt and will show them the reality of driving without one.”
While the events are memorable, it is the time in between that stands out to Sam Trowbridge.
“The time we spend preparing for these events allows us to bond and create lasting memories,” Trowbridge said. “Not only that but we also strengthen existing friendships while creating new ones through the club.”
The partnership between SAFE and emergency agencies throughout Butler County and the Wichita-area are vital to the program.
“We started planning our school year events in the summer, and this year we also met with emergency agencies from Butler County, Wesley Medical Center Trauma, Lifesave Air Medical Transport, and the state traffic safety bureau,” Carsen Starr said. “We have been asked to pilot a program for Kansas called Every 15 Minutes.”
