Management of Safe Rides changes, group needs van
By Kara Chalmers
A nonprofit organization called the Bay Area Safe Rides Foundation has taken over management of the West Valley Safe Rides program, run on weekends during the school year out of the Warner Hutton House in Saratoga.
Last year, the American Red Cross administered the program, which is run entirely by teens. Safe Rides provides free, confidential rides home to teens who have been drinking, or who are stranded somewhere for other reasons, such as if their driver drank or their car broke down.
Saratogan Betty Morse founded the program in June 1999, after reading about the Palo Alto Safe Rides program in a newspaper. Morse pushed to start a similar program in Saratoga and West Valley Safe Rides had a test run during the Saratoga High School 1999 graduation weekend.
Last year, the program provided 316 rides to teens, 201 of whom were intoxicated, and 115 of whom were stranded, according to Lynda Davis. Davis used to work for the Red Cross as the program coordinator and is now the executive director and president of the three-member board that runs the nonprofit group. She calls the switch from the Red Cross to the foundation a positive one.
"The Red Cross was very supportive of the transition for us to take it on," she said.
There's just one problem. While Davis says there are a slew of teens who were involved with the program last year who want to volunteer again when school starts, the van used to provide rides last year belongs to the Red Cross. Unless a vehicle is donated, the program is in jeopardy, she said.
The city of Saratoga will still pay for the toll-free phone line, gas for the van and will still provide the Warner Hutton House to receive phone calls.
While the Red Cross helped get the Safe Rides program in Saratoga off the ground, the organization realized that the time, effort and cost to expand the program to the whole Red Cross service area would become too high, according to Anthony Marek, the director of communications at the American Red Cross, Santa Clara Valley Chapter.
Last year, West Valley Safe Rides ran every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Volunteers--mostly students at Saratoga High School--handled phone calls from the Warner Hutton House.
The Sand Hill Challenge, a nonprofit soap box derby race and a foundation based in Redwood City, funds the Palo Alto and West Valley Safe Rides programs, as well as the Boy Scouts of America Mid-Peninsula Safe Rides. Last year, it gave a scholarship to a SHS student.
Davis said the award would not be limited to Saratoga High School students if and when the program expands.
According to Davis, the Bay Area Safe Rides Foundation's long-term goal is to expand Safe Rides to cover the entire Bay Area. The foundation will administer Safe Rides in West Valley. The West Valley Safe Rides' boundaries are Saratoga, Monte Sereno and parts of Los Gatos.
To make a vehicle or monetary donation to the Bay Area Safe Rides Foundation, contact Lynda Davis at 408.268.4963.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
