New drivers scare me.
New drivers in Ohio during the winter really scare me.
It never failed the first couple snows of the year, we would have several students late to school because they went into a ditch.
And of course those same students came to school in shorts, slides and a sweatshirt - completely unprepared for the 15 degree weather.
To combat this occurrence and better prepare students for the elements, my previous FFA chapter began distributing Winter Safety Kits to 100% of high school drivers about this time of the year.
These winter safety kits included crucial items such as: blankets, gloves, hats, hand warmers, flash lights, ice scrapers, granola bars, etc.
These kits could easily be placed in the trunk of a car and could be pulled out if a student was ever stranded on the side of the road.
And GUESS WHAT - through a National FFA Living to Serve Mini Grant, you can get the majority of these items paid for. Read the Paying for the POA blog post to see an example grant application. The deadline of these mini grants is the first day of each month.
To increase the impact of this activity, chapter officers met drivers as they entered the parking lot in the morning, provided them with a Winter Safety Kit and completed a seat belt check. Any student (driver or passenger) wearing a seat belt, received a cup of hot chocolate.
This activity was one my officers regularly included in the National Chapter Application and was included in our POA when selected as a Models of Excellence Top 10 Chapter in the nation. Download a copy of the Winter Safety Kit Labels and try implementing this activity into your POA this winter. As always, reach out to The Owl’s Nest at info@owlsnestresources.com with any questions.