Grant to Support Three-Tiered Young Passenger and Teen Driver Safety Programs
Camden, NJ July 31, 2012 - State Farm® Insurance Companies awarded Southern New Jersey Safe Kids and the Cooper Foundation $5,000 to support a three-tiered safe passenger program. The grant will assist funding booster seat safety and education; wheeled sport safety; and teen driving education for residents of Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester counties.
"We wanted to focus on both older and younger children", said Maureen Donnelly, coordinator at the Safe Kids of Southern New Jersey. "We want to teach children to stay safe in a motor vehicle, whether it's a properly fitting booster seat or as a safe teen driver." The programs include educating kindergarten children on booster seat fit; exposure to pedestrian safety and helmet use with wheeled sports activities; and young driver education on New Jersey's Graduated Driver Licensing Laws.
"The programs also include parental interaction in the education process", adds Donnelly. "We believe parents are the biggest influence in children's lives and learning. If children learn these behaviors as a child, they will carry them through life." Many of the programs have been existence for several years and have evolved to include instruction on recent teen driving changes and understanding the law on cell phone and texting usage.
"Motor vehicle accidents remain the number one cause of death for young drivers", included State Farm's Jennifer Young. State Farm has a strong commitment to keeping young adults and kids safe. We are proud to partner with Safe Kids and assist in educating young people to be safe neighbors".
Each year, State Farm awards grants to non-profit organizations, governmental entities, and educational institutions for programs that help make communities safer, stronger and more educated. To find out more, visit statefarm.com or stop by the office of your local State Farm agent.
From left to right: State Farm agent, Rodney Stevenson; Southern NJ Safe Kids Coordinator, Maureen Donnelly; State Farm agent, Lynn Vaughan; Cooper University Hospital Patient Care Service Senior Director, Robyn Harvey; and State Farm agent, Cathy Riccardi.
Dave Phillips, State Farm Insurance Media Relations Specialist, (610) 358-7667
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
