76°
WESTON, Conn. Thanks to a community fundraiser, the Westons SafeRides organization has received enough money to cover its operating costs for more than one year.
SafeRides of Weston provides free rides home to any student who needs one on Saturday nights from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. The primary goal of the organization is to ensure that all students, no matter the situation, have a safe ride home from a night out with friends. Safe drivers of the program are local teenagers who volunteer their time and gas to make sure friends get home safe.
The Weston Womens League held a Main Street Weston event in November, where residents had the opportunity to get some holiday shopping done, while donating money to SafeRides. Although the leagues president, Heather Pemberton Levy, declined to say how much was exactly raised, she did say, We were able to fund SafeRides request for a full year and to offer more money to offset insurance costs.
SafeRides parent coordinator Pamela Karpen said, I am overwhelmed by the donation from the WWL. SafeRides of Weston has been operational for a year and the student volunteers have not only been donating their time but their gas money as well.
Our goal for this event was to raise enough money to cover the yearly cost of giving a stipend to the drivers each weekend. The event surpassed that goal and also helped to raise program awareness in the community, Karpen said.
While the program has several student volunteers, they are looking for adults to help out too. At this point our biggest challenge is a scarcity of adult volunteers, Karpen said.
If anyone is interested in volunteering or would like more information about the program, contact Karpen at pskarpen@aol.com or at home 203-227 2917. For more information about the Weston Womens League, visit www.westonwomensleague.org.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
