Livingston, TN - Ollie Makes First School Appearance
For Immediate Release
March 02, 2007
Contact: Julie Brewer
931-372-3318
www.seatbeltvolunteer.org
LIVINGSTON, TN - OLLIE MAKES FIRST SCHOOL APPEARANCE
LIVINGSTON — Students at A. H. Roberts Elementary recently received a visit from a very special guest. Ollie the Otter, the seat belt safety mascot for the Tennessee Road Builders Association (TRBA), visited the school to honor one of three Tennessee students recognized for naming the mascot in a recent contest.
Claire Coleman, 8, received a special gift from Ollie on behalf of the TRBA Ladies Auxiliary. The two remaining winners, Erin Van Hoozier of Knoxville and Gracie Wimsatt of Hendersonville, will also receive special gifts from Ollie in the coming months.
The A. H. Roberts library received a set of DVDs featuring the safety cartoon characters the Danger Rangers, an animated educational television series devoted to teaching young children about safety. Librarian Kim McDonald and Principal Teresa Johnson accepted the gift from the TRBA Ladies Auxiliary on behalf of the school.
The seat belt safety program is being developed by the Tennessee Transportation Development Foundation, a non-profit group established by TRBA in an effort to promote safety on Tennessee’s roadways.
“Our goal is to try to educate children through Ollie the Otter about seat belt safety,” said Carol Coleman, chairman of the TRBA Ladies Auxiliary seat belt safety program.
“Hopefully, children will encourage their caregivers, or whoever is driving them around, to make better safety decisions.”
Tennessee law requires all children under 4-feet-9-inches to ride in a booster seat. The TRBA safety program will launch an educational campaign this fall to teach children about the law and other safety precautions.
Working with the Tennessee Tech University BusinessMedia Center in Cookeville, TRBA will develop educational materials, such as posters, bookmarkers and an interactive Website, to inform Tennessee children and their parents about seat belt safety. The fully-costumed Ollie the Otter character will visit schools and play an integral role in the educational program.
“The safety of our children is the most important thing,” said Coleman. “We’re really hoping to make a difference.”
To learn more, visit www.seatbeltvolunteer.org
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