Alexas Hugs Inc

Seat Belt Challenge / Teen DrivingIn the first half of 2018, Alexas Hugs continued to work with northern Colorado high schools to offer peer-to-peer traffic safety programs and education. Teens with whom we had been working in previous years continued their messaging programs to improve safety and driving choices for their peers. Someof these students won national and state awards for their work in traffic safety initiatives. Not only didwe speak and/or present at high schools with pertinent safety messages, we continued to offer an interactive GDL program designed to engage parents and their novice drivers in responsible planning for driver training. We teach families about the state's GDL laws, teen driving risks and behaviors, and provide direction to parents to help them train their teens during the process.We moved to New Mexico mid-year, and started working to foster new relationships to develop and implement our programs in this state. We modified our GDL program and began offering it in New Mexico. We initiated contact with schools and other local entities to lay the groundwork for implementation of expanded teen driving programs in NM.Teen Driving Safety is one of our primary programs. Approximately 60% of our time and resources are dedicated to this program.Hugs for StudentsHugs are decorative straps of ribbon that fasten around a seat belt and serve as a visual reminder to buckle up every time you get in your vehicle. Our message with each one is that you slide it to fit over your heart and think of a HUG from a loved one thus the name. Each Hug is hand-made by our of finding one that will work for almost anyone.Students hosted craft days in their schools to hand-craft Hugs for their peers. We made several hundredHugs for students at local high schools.Designing and creating Hugs accounts for approximately 10% of our time and resources.Child Passenger SafetyOur Child Passenger Safety program is a growing. In 2018, we continued to provide education, training, and car seats or booster seats to local families in both Colorado and New Mexico. Participants receive individual instruction about how to properly fit the child to the seat and install the seat safely in the vehicle to maximize the level of safety for young children. Participants then demonstrate these skills by properly installing the seat in their vehicle before leaving the appointment. We hosted car seat events and worked with other local organizations to provide additional outreach. Child passenger safety programming accounts for approximately 15% of our time and resources.Other ProgramsAlexas Hugs participates in and plans family safety events. We provide public speaking to local schools. We connect parents with resources to help their teen drivers. We have two trained Child Passenger Safety technicians. We also provide distracted driving education and prevention programs to businesses. These services are provided throughout the local communities to help assure the safety of our youngest passengers, our oldest drivers, and everyone in between. These programs and services account for approximately 8% of our time and resources.