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The Ardsley Youth Advocate Program and Student Assistant Services are looking for volunteers for the village's Safe Rides Program.
Parent and student volunteers are needed to help provide a safe and secure way for students to get a ride home at night on designated weekends from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Students in grades nine through 12 may volunteer. Students who would like to be drivers are required to have a senior license and access to a family vehicle. Those who would like to answer incoming telephone calls may be any age from ninth grade up.
High school senior volunteers will receive $25 off their prom tickets.
Adults may volunteer to be at the Community Center in case the students need help and adults need not have a child in the program to participate.
Ardsley Safe Rides offers any high school student who lives within the Ardsley school district in need of a safe ride home may use the program.
Students can call from a party, after babysitting, from a friend's house or from a boyfriend/girlfriend's house, or if they find themselves in any situation where they feel unsafe to get into a car with a driver.
The program is monitored by four to six students (the student team) who work out of the Ardsley Community Center along with one to two adult volunteers. Adult volunteers work in a separate room from where the students are taking calls; the adults are there to handle emergency situations.
The Safe Rides advisor and adult volunteers from the community will meet with the students once a month to discuss any questions, concerns or issues that may arise.
All student and adult volunteers receive specialized training about the program's policies and procedures by Youth Advocate Allison Mastrogiacomo.
Students can be picked up and dropped off in the four Rivertowns (Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings and Irvington) and may only be dropped off at their home or a relative or a friend's home.
Safe Rides drivers must have their senior license and use of a family car. The car should carry a minimum of $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 of automobile liability limits on their vehicle.
Parents and students can call the Safe Rides at 674-4845 and listen to the message to see if Safe Rides is operating on a given weekend. Those interested in volunteering may call or e-mail the Ardsley Youth Advocate at 914-674-4845 or ardsleyadvocate@gmail.com.
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