Safe Communities

Your participation is welcome, and we would put your talents to good use! Here are ideas:

Public Education and Media Committee

Committee functions: to advise the Coalition Board and membership on how to reduce the incidence of injury through public education, media, and community relations; and to help raise Coalition visibility. Sign on to help with any activity listed below and you're considered a committee member!

• Participate in a brainstorming session to identify topics for safety-related news releases; volunteer to write 1-2 releases on selected topics
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713
• Participate in a brainstorming session to develop paid-advertising messages (radio, television, billboards) for campaigns
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713
• Attend 2 meetings to design a Safety Media Guide to be printed and disseminated to Dane County media organizations; help collect information about expertise and contact people from agencies with safety as a core mission
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713

Traffic Safety Campaigns

Walk Our Children to School Week, First week of October
Walk Our Children to School Week is aimed at improving driver behavior and teaching children to be safe pedestrians. With the Madison Area SAFE KIDS Coalition and many community partners, the Coalition conducts a coordinated pedestrian safety public education campaign in conjunction with this event. In past years 20 schools, 7,000 children, and their families have participated in this event.

• Organize Walk to School Week activities at your child's school
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713
• Organize a pedestrian safety activity in your neighborhood or community
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713
• In September, facilitate distribution of parent questionnaire to schools participating in Walk Our Children to School Week
  Contacts:
  Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, Madison Public Health Department, 294-5303
• At schools participating in Walk Our Children to School Week evaluation, help brief neighborhood residents, parents, and staff on how to conduct observational studies of driver behavior in school zones and at pedestrian crossings
  Contact: Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, Madison Public Health Department, 294-5303
• Facilitate placement of Walk Our Children to School Week questionnaires in participating neighborhood association newsletters and community newspapers
  Contact:
  Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, Madison Public Health Department, 294-5303
• As part of the Walk Our Children to School Week evaluation, help deliver pizza and coupons to classrooms that return large numbers of parent questionnaires
  Contact:
  Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, Madison Public Health Department, 294-5303

Slow Down Yard Sign Campaign - Last week of April
The Coalition will organize Madison neighborhood associations and Dane County communities to post thousands of Slow Down yard signs in an effort to reduce speeding during this campaign. The Coalition also works with local police to coordinate speed enforcement in participating neighborhoods and communities as part of this effort.

• Organize distribution of yard signs in your neighborhood or community
• Law enforcement agencies: identify problem areas and recruit residents to post yard signs in concert with your speed enforcement efforts
• Organize neighbors to monitor speeds using available speed boards or speed awareness trailers
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713

All Traffic Safety Campaigns

• Make observations at selected locations as part of observational studies to evaluate traffic safety campaigns
  Contact:
  Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, Madison Public Health Department, 294-5303
• School/youth advocates: Help recruit and organize youth to participate in activities listed above
  Contact: Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713

Suicide Prevention

Join a Working Group to implement a suicide prevention project.

• Identify an implementation strategy
• Help raise funds/provide in-kind printing
• Help disseminate the message through appropriate channels
  Contact: Susan Conlin Opheim, HOPES, 274-1838 or Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities, 256-6713