By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
With more than a 1,000 traffic fatalities in the state of Michigan, distracted driving has certainly become a concern with law enforcement.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety, through a recent grant from the GM Foundation, hopes to educate area students about the dangers of distracted driving from alcohol to cell phones.
“We are going to be going into all of our local high schools partnering with them and bringing in the Save a Life tour. We will have some presentations and hopefully some interactive displays with the teenagers there just showing them the potential of distracted driving and the consequences that could be,” said Wyoming Chief Kim Koster.
The Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, which received the grant, plans to help the Wyoming Department of Public Safety bring in the program Save a Life, an international campaign designed to get the message out about the dangers of distracted driving. The program includes highly advanced impaired and distracted driving simulators that give participants a completely realistic, sober perspective on the effects of driving while impaired or distracted.
“We are receiving generously from General Motors a check that will be used specifically by our police department for distracted drivers,” said Mayor Jack Poll, who was at the opening ceremonies or the 28th Street Metro Cruise where the grants were presented. The 28th Street Metro Cruise is usually the last weekend in August.
For the past several years GM has recognized and supported local organizations that help with a number of projects within the community. The GM Community Grants program, funded by the GM Foundation, is providing about $2 million to hundreds of organizations in 48 communities where GM employees live and work. Of that amount, $30,000 was awarded to the GM Components Holdings LLC in Wyoming to give to local organizations.
That amount was split between three organizations, the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC), and Feeding America.
WMEAC will use most of its grant money toward its Teach the Watershed program at Godfrey Lee Elementary School, said WMEAC Director of Development Mary Robinson.
“We work specifically with fourth graders to teach them about the watershed and air pollution and how then can be actors in stopping pollution,” Robinson said. “We will also have a fall water festival that will include kids from the elementary school but also from the early childhood center.”
The last group was the Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank which will utilize the grant to help support 14 school mobile pantries feeding more than 14,000 families. One of the locations is Wyoming’s Parkview Elementary.
