CLICK IT FOR STEPH: A SAFETY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Promoting Safety with Dum-Dum’s and Chocolate

Katie S. Richard W. Brooke L. Jessica A. Tyler P. Melanie A. Brittney M. Erick Z. Alex C. Nick S. Abbie K.

Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO

In the Face of Tragedy…

On the night of October 20, 2011, four Colorado Mountain College students were involved in a serious car accident… three survived. Stephenie Jo Zgorzynski died on the way to the hospital after being thrown from the car that had rolled multiple times. The survivors each sustained injuries serious enough to require at least a one night stay in the hospital. Injuries included: a broken back, broken elbow and deep facial lacerations. Because Steph had not been wearing her seatbelt, CMC’s PEAK Performance decided that it was necessary to raise awareness about the five seconds it takes to buckle a seatbelt.

Turning Adversity into Action

After the accident, we as a health and wellness group, knew that we needed to act. We spent time planning our campaign, always remaining respectful to anyone that was involved. Rather than a one-day event, we, as PEAK, decided to repeat our event every few weeks at multiple locations to interact with as many people as possible while reinforcing the importance of wearing a seatbelt- no matter how short the drive!

Each PEAK member had an equal role in planning and participating in each event that took place. Jobs included making signs, handing out candy bars, photographing, planning, collaboration, shopping, and organizing materials (signs, bracelets, candy).

A Team Effort to Promote Safety We made signs to encourage safe driving but out efforts were our main advertising: as students, faculty, and community members drove in and out of campus, we gave them full-size candy bars if they were wearing seatbelts and passed Dum-Dum lollipops to those who were not.

Engaging with those who stopped was immensely more effective than putting up signs or holding a one-time event. Handing out candy bars every couple weeks encouraged safety and everyone was happy about it… even the bicyclist that got a Snickers for wearing his helmet!

CMC PEAK Makes NOYS!

Raising awareness and speaking in honor of Steph, CMC’s PEAK Performance dedicated days to distracted driving simulators, distracted driving programs and of course our flagship Seatbelt Awareness Program. Unlike Tyler Presnell, featured by NOYS, Steph did not survive a car crash. For months our student body focused on the tragedy, but we, as PEAK, decided that it was time to reach out to our community.

Collaborating with Student Government and Phi Theta Kappa, we planted a tree at the Vet Tech Farm where Steph spent all her days taking classes and riding horses. Inspired in part by what Dianne Feldman did for her daughter Casey, this tree will live on as a memorial for Steph.

Everyday Awareness

In an effort to create a permanent reminder of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt, PEAK purchased signs to be hung around campus. The signs read: “Click It 4 Steph. In loving memory of Steph Jo Zgorzynski 3/20/93 – 10/20/11” We plan to expand this awareness by purchasing more signs and extending the reach from the campus community to the local community. By doing this, we hope to prevent future accidents by reminding everyone leaving campus to fasten their seatbelts.

Community Efforts

Throughout this process, other groups on campus became very interested in what we were doing a n d b e c a u s e o f t h i s we collaborated with many of them on our efforts. These groups include: Student Activities Council, Vet Tech program, Women’s Forum, Student Government Campus Store, Roaring Fork Co-op, Residence Life Staff, Student Ambassadors, Glenwood local nursery, and CMC Administration. The help that we received from outside sources led to the success of this program.

Calla Fisher, the young women in the front row second from the left was one of the passengers in the accident. She sustained a serious back injury that effected her everyday life. She was an active participant and eager to join our efforts.

Continuing Efforts

Seeing the bracelets on the NOYS website, our group decided to make our own “Click It For Steph” bracelets to honor Steph.

Taking inspiration from the Oprah Winfrey show we continued our efforts to educate students on distracted driving. “No Phone Zone” is a program that informs students not only of the dangers of using a cellular phone while diving but other forms of distraction as well. At the end of the event we invited students to sign a pledge (below picture) stating they would not use their phone while driving.

Response and Feedback

“ ‘Click It For Steph’ is an excellent example of how our students turned a tragic event into a respectful learning opportunity for the students as well as college personnel. PEAK Performance developed innovative strategies that not only changed behavior but ultimately saved lives. Their dedication to respectfully honoring a student’s memory is an inspiration to us all.” –Mark McCabe (Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs)

“The PEAK students chose to create a positive outcome from a tragic student accident. We all need to be reminded of the importance of ALWAYS wearing seatbelts and the “Click it for Steph” campaign does this while memorializing a caring, loving student whose life ended so unexpectedly.” –Lisa Doak, CMC Dean of Student Affairs

The Big Picture

The responses we have received from the community have been very supportive and positive. We truly feel like we have made an impact on students with these efforts and this is apparent through the increased involvement on campus. When we began this campaign, our overall goal was to highlight the preventable nature of this tragedy. Taking action gave our students that were directly involved an emotional outlet, something positive to focus on, and a sense of accomplishment. We will continue the “Click It For Steph” campaign in upcoming semesters at CMC. Our future goals are: purchase more traffic signs for the community, continue with the candy bar seatbelt campaign, extend the bracelet giveaway, and never forget Stephenie Jo Zgorzynski.

Click it for Safety Click it for Steph Click it for You