April 18, 2007
“Every Fifteen Minutes” Drinking and Driving Program
April 18, 2007
Dr. Sara Rich-Wheeler, the Dean of Nursing at Lakeview College of Nursing in Danville, Illinois presented the Attica-Williamsport Rotary Club with a compelling video about her program called, “Every Fifteen Minutes”. This reenactment program is a cooperative effort between twenty-four agencies in Fountain County, Indiana to depict what happens when drinking and driving happens.
This program is a two-day event in which the first day, a staged reenactment of a drinking and driving accident is set up in the school parking lot. A grim reaper then roams the high school and targets students every fifteen-minutes who are then taken from classrooms and are asked to wear a black t-shirt. This t-shirt represents a victim of a drunk driving accident that happens every fifteen-minutes and they now signify the living-dead. For the rest of the day these students will not be talked to and they will not talk to anyone else. The day will progress with all the possible outcomes from the accident including: visits to the hospital, police contacting parents, parents going to funeral homes, writing obituaries, court case convicting the drunk driver, sentencing, etc.
The second day a staged reenactment of a drinking and driving accident will be shown via a school assembly with a video depicting exactly what takes place in this tragic situation. The video shows all agencies involved in such a situation: 911 operators, local and state police departments, fire departments, EMS ambulance, hospitals, schools, students, parents, the county coroner, friends and family. The video begins by taking the viewer to the scene of the accident; two cars crashed head-on in a school parking lot. A young man is hurt and walking, trying to figure out if the passengers of both cars are all right. Evidently, the young man depicted has been drinking and is frantic when his friends do not respond to him. We see snippets of video that show what is happening at the same time: police departments are called, the fire departments and EMS units are responding and crowds at the high school are watching the drama unfold.
The viewer is taken through many scenes of rescue, police testing, arrest and transport of the drunken student, the arrival of a helicopter transport, EMS personnel working on victims, the arrival at the hospitals and the subsequent work the hospital staff performs to save the lives of the accident victims.
An eighteen-year-old student produced and filmed this compelling video and the members of the A-W Rotary Club were absolutely transfixed as they watched the whole production. The director did an outstanding job of translating the emotion of the whole drama. Most gripping were the scenes where the parents of the accident victims are told of their loved ones deaths and their responses. Ultimately, two parents had to not only deal with the deaths of their children but had to identify their bodies.
Dr. Rich-Wheeler passionately asked all parents, grandparents and concerned family members, to share this story to our community and loved ones. Drinking and driving has such life altering consequences and if this program presented to the schools saves one life, it is a program worthy of investing in.
Please visit www.every15minutes.com for more information on this program.
Attica-Williamsport Club News
April 18, 2007
The Attica-Williamsport Club President Cindy Mason reminded all that the Quad-City Rotary meeting will be tonight (April 18th) up in Fowler. All are encouraged to attend this meeting. Likewise, this weekend is the 6560 District Conference held in French Lick, Indiana.
The annual Reality Fair project is approaching and more members are needed to fill open spots for this activity. The Reality Fair will take place April 16th and 17th and is located in the Beef House annex in Covington. Set-up for this project will be Sunday evening, April 15th at 5:30 p.m., all are encouraged to stop by and help.
Treasurer Chris Allmand reminded everyone that April 28th will be the annual spring highway clean-up service project. All are encouraged to attend and beautify our roadsides. Mention was made about possible prizes for the most interesting road kill encountered, oldest bottle found or other unusual finds during this activity. Clean-up will happen between 9:00-11:00am and all are encouraged to wear gloves and boots and bring trash sticks if you have them. Contact Mr. Allmand if you have any questions about this Rotary community project.
President Cindy Mason honored Mr. Bill Craft during the meeting for obtaining
the Paul Harris Fellow award. This award is for individuals reaching a donation
goal to the Rotary Foundation that helps fund the many worthy projects Rotary
International sponsors around the world. Mr. Craft was delighted to receive his
award and the Paul Harris Medal for his generous efforts.
The Attica-Williamsport Rotary Club meets every Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. at the Harrison Hills Country Club. All are welcomed to attend, enjoy an interesting program and meet active community members. Come see what Rotary is all about!
Thanks to Kathy Poston for this great article.