Governor, Ollie Celebrate 250,000th Child to View Safety Effort
For Immediate Release
November 19, 2010
Contact: Julie Brewer
931-372-3318
www.seatbeltvolunteer.org
GOVERNOR, OLLIE CELEBRATE 250,000TH CHILD TO VIEW SAFETY EFFORT
Buchanan, TN---Gov. Phil Bredesen and 500 Henry County elementary students celebrated a major milestone with Ollie the Otter, a program promoting seat belt and booster seat safety.
The interactive program was initiated by the Tennessee Road Builders Association and Tennessee Tech University nearly three years ago and has been viewed by over 250,000 children representing over 13,000 Tennessee classrooms. The Ollie program, which covered all 95 counties in its first half year, has received numerous state and national awards and has been adopted in three other states to date.
The celebration was at the Lakewood Elementary School in Henry County, and all Pre-K through third grade students joined in the interactive presentation.
“This is a great example of a public-private partnership joining to bring about a very important message to Tennessee school children,” Gov. Bredesen said, citing the support of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and other state departments.
“Ollie brings fun and excitement to a very serious issue,” said TRBA Board Member Jerry Hayes, of J.R. Hayes Construction Co. “We are proud to have started this program, and prouder yet of the lives we know have been saved because of it,” he said.
The success of this program is due to all of the partners who work to see its message reach the children of Tennessee. The team effort from TN Tech College of Business staff and students, the TN Highway Patrol and Department of Safety, Governor’s Highway Safety Office, local law enforcement agencies, the TN Board of Regents, TN Technology Centers, Safe Kids, TN Road Builders Association, and others make it possible to bring Ollie to the schools where he connects with the children.
“We all see the excitement and enthusiasm from the kids when they meet Ollie and hear how important they are and how important it is to use a seatbelt. Kids will tell their whole family about Ollie and what he said!”
Ollie the Otter was developed by the Tennessee Road Builders Association and Tennessee Tech University (TTU) as a solution to a serious problem; lack of booster seat and seatbelt education to youth. The program is sponsored by several organizations, including the Tennessee Transportation Development Foundation (TTDF) - a non-profit group established by the Tennessee Road Builders Association- and the TRBA Ladies Auxiliary. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,250 lives. The use of booster seats compared to the use of adult seat belts alone lowers the risk of injury to children in crashes by fifty-nine percent.
With the help of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and local law enforcement, the children are taught what parts of the body the seat belt should touch when properly buckled up. The Ollie Otter program communicates that Tennessee state law requires the use of a booster seat until a child is 4-feet-9 inches tall or nine years old. Ollie's slogan for the students was, "Under 4'9"- it's Booster Time!"
"Children are our most precious resource. We have been fortunate enough to spread booster seat and seat belt safety education to 250,000 children and their families," said Carol Coleman, chairperson of the TTDF, "seat belt safety is no accident and we are proud to be making a difference."
The Ollie Otter program is implemented by a network of statewide volunteers who work through the Tennessee Technological University BusinessMedia Center in Cookeville to coordinate the presentations. The unprecedented educational safety campaign was launched in December of 2006, and continues to grow daily.
To prepare volunteers to conduct the in-school presentations and perform as the costumed Ollie Otter, an online training course has been developed by the TTU BusinessMedia Center through the Tennessee Board of Regents Online Continuing Education program.
“We have had several College of Business students that get involved with Ollie Otter through the BusinessMedia Center. They get the opportunity to learn skills that will benefit them in real work environments. This has been a great way for the Center to give back and help save lives.” Kevin Liska, Director, TTU BusinessMedia Center.
To sign up as a volunteer, to schedule a visit from Ollie, or to learn more about Tennessee's booster seat and seat belt safety program, visit www.seatbeltvolunteer.org.
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