DI Safety Patrol: That's a wrap!

The pilot program of the Daniel Island Safety Patrol yielded many positive results, according to organizers, and helped curb potential crosswalk hazards for both students and drivers.

Close to 30 volunteers donated their time to serve on the patrol, which assisted hundreds of Daniel Island School children in crossing the intersection of Daniel Island Drive and Pierce Street each school day between April 11 and May 27. In addition to parents and other community members, Berkeley County School Board Member Mac McQuillin, State Senator Larry Grooms, Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley, and Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis also stepped up to help. Coordinated by the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA), the patrol was initiated in response to several accidents and near misses involving kids and cars, including a collision between a student biker and a vehicle in a crosswalk on January 20.

The Daniel Island News asked Marie Delcioppo, DINA Safety Chair; Carina Buckman, School Safety Subcommittee Project Manager; and Glenn Williman, DINA President, to share their thoughts on the program and future plans.

Q: How would you summarize the effectiveness of the pilot program?

CARINA: Community feedback has been effusive! Drivers benefit as it becomes clearer when children will cross (with the big orange flag being raised) and children benefit from supervision while crossing. Volunteers are also able to reinforce parent and school safety education (e.g. stop, look and listen before crossing, and requests to dismount bikes to cross).

MARIE: In the beginning - I’m not going to lie - we were nervous. We didn’t know if we’d get enough volunteers or if the community in general would be receptive to this idea. I am thrilled to admit we were completely wrong! The parents, children, safety patrol volunteers, elected officials, law enforcement, the school faculty and staff, the entire community rallied around this program. As I was crossing the street one day after school with a little boy with his grandmother, he reinforced to me why we need this program. He said, “Grandma, isn’t is so cool we have these people helping us cross the street now?” And every single time I am out volunteering, kids and parents thank me. It’s so touching and heartwarming. I can’t thank the Daniel Island community enough. I get choked up just thinking about it.

Q: What message would you like to convey to your volunteers?

CARINA: A huge thanks to everyone that pitched in to making the pilot a huge success and for their continued support after summer vacation! We were able to recruit 28 volunteers throughout the pilot which enables us to deem the program a success and sustainable in the longer term.

MARIE: We had about 28 volunteers, made up of parents of DIS students, parents of non-DIS students, retirees, grandparents, single folks with no kids... That variety of volunteers just shows how much this community genuinely cares about one another. On top of our tireless volunteers who always had a smile on their face, Berkeley County School Board Representative Mac McQuillin, Senator Larry Grooms, and Berkeley County Councilmen Josh Whitley wasted no time grabbing an orange flag and pitching in. And then there were all the folks “behind the scenes:” Principal Marty French and Vice Principal Kori Brown, the Property Owners Association, the Neighborhood Association, local businesses, the Daniel Island News, and many other folks who helped us coordinate this program. Words cannot express my immense gratitude.

Q: Can you tell us about the business support you received?

CARINA: Support from local business has also been amazing! We’d like to thank Blondies and The Juice Bar for donating gift cards for our volunteers along with Tropical Smoothie for providing vouchers. Brenda from The Juice Bar also volunteered, taking on several Safety Patrol shifts... our Daniel Island community is a special place.

MARIE: This was all Carina Buckman. She called me one morning to say she was strolling up and down Seven Farms, meandering in and out of our local businesses, telling them about the Safety Patrol Program. (Anyone who knows Carina knows this woman puts the Energizer Bunny to shame!) In true Daniel Island fashion, Blondies, The Juice Bar, and Tropical Smoothie offered gift cards and vouchers for our volunteers and even volunteered themselves.

Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned in this process?

CARINA: That anything is possible through perseverance! We have a special community that really cares about making DI the best it can be! Child safety in the active school zone has been a hot button for a while and by pulling together as a community we have made a positive change, that was so worth all the effort!

MARIE: I don’t know as though I “learned” this, but it was definitely reinforced: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Carina Buckman, Angelique Clarke, An Kelly, Daniel Island School, and Mac McQuillin wanted to see something done to help our children get to and from school safer, and they were not going to stop until something happened. I am so honored to serve with these community leaders who saw an issue and, together, worked to implement a solution. Our feeling was that the worst case scenario was that this program tanked. If so, we scratch it and go back to the drawing board. (You never know if something is going to succeed or fail until you try it, right?!) But at least we were taking positive action. Fortunately, we didn’t have to face that worst case scenario, because this program proved itself and will continue next school year.

Q: What is the future of the program?

CARINA: We plan to continue the program at the intersection of Daniel Island Drive and Pierce Street after summer vacation (as long as we can maintain enough volunteers) and will then consider expanding to Pierce Street and Barfield Street (if we can get enough additional volunteers). We will also assist parents of children attending the new school to assess feasibility of implementing a similar program.

MARIE: We have even more volunteers joining us next school year and plan to continue the program at the same intersection of Daniel Island Drive and Pierce Street. When our volunteer base gets large enough, we will add another intersection. Members of the new school’s PTA - seeing what we have done at DIS - have asked if we’d share how they can implement a similar program at their school. It’s exciting to know that others are taking note of what we’re doing and want to replicate it for themselves.

Q: From the perspective of the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association, how important is this program to our community?

GLENN: I think that the safety patrol program has been a significant benefit for the safety of our children at the Daniel Island School and has raised safety awareness throughout the Daniel Island Community. The issue of school safety has been talked about for a long time, but it has taken the persistence and organization of Marie and Carina to bring thoughts and words into action. I am proud that the DINA Safety Committee was able to create and organize the school patrol program and I am grateful to all the volunteers that stood in the morning and afternoon to help our children. I look forward to continuing and expanding the program in the next school year.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

CARINA: Thanks once again for everyone’s support in getting this pilot off the ground and making it a success. While this is a DINA led program, the partnership with DIS has been invaluable! We also very much appreciate support from our local officials, including Senator Larry Grooms, School Board representative Mac McQuillin and Councilman Josh Whitley. And thanks of course to The Daniel Island News for helping with community communications

! MARIE: There simply are not words to express my gratitude and appreciation. It’s one thing for all us grown-ups to think this Safety Patrol Program is a great idea, but when the kids are excited to have us there helping them get to and from school safely, it just warms my heart. It’s the best feeling in the world.

To inquire about joining the Daniel Island Safety Patrol in the new school year, send an email to safety@dineighborhoodassociation.org.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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