“Every 15 minutes” earns

Community Service Awards

Members of the Sheriff’s Office, along with people who put together and participated in the anti-drunk driving program called Every 15 Minutes, were honored last Wednesday at the First Annual Community Service Awards Breakfast put on by Serenity Lane Health Services.

Deputy Dave Silano was presented with the Legal Professional/Uniformed Service Award for his dedication to teen drinking and driving prevention through the Every 15 Minutes program, which has put on at five local area high schools. Deputy Silano was nominated by Sheriff Tom Turner.

The Community Youth Lead-ership Awards were presented to Bethany and Jarrett Smith for their participation in the Every 15 Minutes program that took place at Thurston High School as role players and student leaders. Bethany and Jarret took on a strong leadership role within the program and have taken on that same role within their communities. They were both nominated by Deputy Dave Silano for their contributions to the program.

Retired Deputy Kevin Wood-worth received an Unsung Hero Award for his continued dedication to the Every 15 Minutes program in helping with the preparation and the event itself.

Videographer Michael Sherman also received an Unsung Hero Award for filming and producing the event each year. Michael spent countless hours at the event, and the evening of the vehicle crash, to put together a video to be used at the community assembly.

About the Every 15 Minutes program

Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program put on at local high schools that includes a staged, alcohol related vehicle accident, emergency response by multiple agencies, and the ultimate mock “death” of a victim in one of the vehicles. The role players are students of the host high school, making the impacts of drinking and driving more personal. The participating students go away the night of the crash to a retreat at Camp Harlow where they hear from speakers regarding drunk driving. The next day, the student bodies, along with members of the community, gather at an assembly with presentations from victims of drunk driving accidents, families of victims, and students who participated in the program. Parents who received a mock death notification also spoke at the event about their experience.