SafeRides drives 2,243

By Caroline Cournoyer, contributing writer
Posted on October 15, 2007

This weekend SafeRides gave its 2,243rd ride home.

Sophomore Ciara Nelson said she was impressed by SafeRides professionalism and helpfulness.

“It is great for people who are cheap and don’t want to take a cab, now they can call SafeRides,” she said.

Executive Director Tamra Cornwell said that the amount of time the clients wait will depend on the time of night they call.

“Usually about 15 minutes,” she said. “But during our busy hours, 12 to 2 a.m., it takes anywhere from 20 [minutes] to an hour.”

The phone operators notify callers, especially on busy nights, how long it will be until their ride arrives. Junior Molly Mueller said, “it didn’t take too long.”

Mueller said SafeRides may cut down on drunk driving instances in the community.

“My experience was a positive one,” Mueller said. “The best thing about SafeRides is that it’s free and it feels safe.”

After a six-year struggle to bring the organization to JMU, the 167 directors, team leaders and general body members keep it running through fundraising and advertising, Cornwell said.

SafeRides Week was the first week of October and began with “One Night, One Ride, One Life,” an educational forum exposing common myths about alcohol and ended with the “Mad Madison Run, Celebrating 100 Years of Fun” 5K. According to Cornwell, SafeRides brought in about $500.

Each week, insurance costs for both the car and its passengers total around $800. Each vehicle costs, on average, $45 per week depending on the type.

While it worked to become operational for six years, the members of SafeRides did enough fundraising to keep them financially comfortable for years to come. Its total funds are around $20,000, which it expects to stay at each year taking into account expenses, fundraising and parent support, Cornwell said.

The non-profit organization could not function without any of its general body members, according to Cornwell.

“They basically are our backbone to the organization,” Cornwell said. “They spread the word about giving rides. Without them we wouldn’t really exist.”

SafeRides is not only for people who have been drinking. One of the most memorable experiences for Cornwell was picking up the phone and hearing a girl hysterically crying on the other end. She was neither intoxicated nor in danger, but she had suffered from a bad date and was in dire need of a ride home.

“SafeRides by far has the most energy and spunk of any organization that I got involved with,” Cornwell said. “I think the people have so much passion and heart for the mission and I think that’s what drives us with being able to run now.”