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

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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

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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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and sophomoic Andrew Morris show oil their talent. The band was unsigned but participating in competitions like the Rock Otf helped build its fan base. Photo by Sammy Elchenko Since it cost about S800 per week to fund the organiza- tion, Safe Rides had a difficult time getting off the ground. As it turned out, insuring SafeRides vehicles and drivers consumed the highest cost for the organization. Enterprise Rent- A-Car stepped up to cover the insurance needs of both the corporation as well as the 200 volunteers that worked for SafeRides. It also provided the rental vehicles used every weekend for the student-run organization. With the help trom Enterprise and sponsors like Domino ' s Pizza and SafeRides Before SafeRides I insurance, it had many cr Last year we got ; people who thought that ] Cornwell. People thou service to them that we ca SafeRides also hit i March 23 when one of the program ' s logo and ] food to the students on the |ie a huge success. be an organization and received Is. |)t of negative feedback from I were already operational, said we were falsely advertising a In ' t provide. leed bump on the weekend of le magnetic door signs with Ine number was stolen. A IMU [Notice was sent to all students informing them of the theft and potential impersonator. Even though the driver actually gave rides home to students, it was unknown if he or she was acting maliciously or just attempting to provide a ser ' ice to the students outside of the confines of the organization. Although Cornwell did not see this incident as a real threat, SafeRides released a notice to all students that they should not accept rides from ' ehicles bearing the SafeRides magnetic logo unless the drivers were wearing the official SafeRides T-shirts. For Cornwell, all of the positive responses SafeRides received from the university and the Harrisonburg area were encouraging, and allowed the organization to relay its ultimate message to the community. We want to make people aware of the consequences of drinking and driving, but we aren ' t here to either persuade or dissuade people to drink, she said. So what did the future hold for SafeRides? Kristin Gardner, Associate Director for the University Health Center ' s Office of Health Promotion, who worked to support SafeRides, was optimistic. I see the organization continuing to hold a strong presence and continuing to grow, she said. We believe in the organization, the mission and most especially the persistent and professional students who run the organization. S4e ' Ride6 90eek 27