James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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SafeRides fueled its cause by raising over $3,000. raduate Lindsey W ' alther-Thomas founded SafeRides in 2002. She saw a need for safe transportation for late- night part ' -goers and students studxing on can lyyjjto the early morning. But the organization fac ed many obstacles during its inception and did not become op- erational until Februar)- 2006. It took off after that, transport- ing its 1 ,000th customer home safely after only two months in business and generating support from both students and the communitv; according to senior Tamra Cornwell, executive director for SafeRides. When SafeRides got its kick-start, expenses went straight through the roof In addition to donations, SateRides held a hand- raising week in the spring to fuel its operation, including a bake sale. Rock Off and male date auction. A big hit with students, the fundraising week yielded $3,148.92 in profit The SafeRides Rock Off alone generated quite a buzz. Five bands competed in the battle, with Skies o ' er Saturn prevailing as the winner. The band, consisting of seniors Jay McGiU, Eric Nanz and Teagan O ' Bar and junior Chris AntzouUs, won a show at Alstons Pub to fiirther showcase its Epic Space Rock talents to the community ' . The SafeRides Rock Off was a great experience for us as a band, said Antzoulis. AU of us believe that SafeRides is a great idea and is powered by a fantastic and cooperative group of individuals. We enjoy doing shows where we get the opportunity to entertain as well as help our fellow students or people in need. The organization also worked with Cold Stone Creamery and RT ' s Chicken Grille, garnering even more funds tor the newly established group while earning recognition firom the Harrisonburg community- Members of SafeRides hoped the fundraising week would not only raise their budget, but also make SafeRides a household name. We thought pro iding fun e ' ents on campus would get our name out there; ve really wanted people to know who we were, said Fundraising Director senior Megan Lake. The fundraising e ' ents were a big hit with students. But the male date auction Hot Bods, Hot Rods was, according to Lake, the most memorable e ent of all. SafeRides auctioned off the male a cappeHa group Madison Project, which caused quite a stir from the audience. I ' ve never seen so many girls fight over guys before, said Lake. The Madison Project went for $550; a bunch of girls pooled their money. It really helped us bring in a lot of monev. Ve were really grateful for Madison Project being there. At the Cold Stone Creamery fundraiser, members of SafeRides worked as Cold Stone employees. On one of the warmest nights of the week, this fundraiser raised a substantial amount of funds. We had a line out the door most of the night, said Lake. We made a little over S300. It was a really big deal for us to bring in that much money. WTiile the events of the week made for one of our most profitable years, according to Lake, it also strengthened the bonds within the organization. Working together at the -arious events unified the group as a whole. I used SafeRides once and I was really impressed with how well their whole system vorks, said senior Kelly Fisher I was at a house off campus and vanted to get home, but there were no bus stops nearby. I felt a lot more comfortable using SafeRides, which is operated by JMU students, than calling a cab with a driver I didn ' t know. Plus it was firee! she said. S4e ' RiJe6 OOeek 25

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o o o Advertising for SafeRldes, a club member displays the fundraising week ' s events on her back. In addition to hosting a proceeds night at its restaurant, RT ' s Chicken Grille sponsored SafeRides during its first operational weekend Photo courtesy of Dara Silbeft 2. cZ-eatureii

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Chris Wernikowski i untencl lur iLTiicilf .tltention. The University Program Bo.ird co- sponsorcfJ Ihc m.iie aurti in u ' ith SafcRidc!,. Photo courtesy ofKristen Malzone 2.K L- eatured