CARPOOL gives 50,000th ride
By: James Twine
Issue date: 4/5/04 Section: News
On a typical Friday night on Northgate one can spot a number of Aggies decked out in bright green T-shirts looking for people who need a safe ride home.
Those students are volunteers with Caring Aggies are Protecting Over Our Lives, an organization that began in 1999, aimed at giving students a safe ride home after a night of drinking.
CARPOOL reached a milestone Friday night as it gave its 50,000th ride since it began operating.
"This milestone says a lot for the people who are a part of the organization and how we have impacted our community," said Lauren Barbier, a senior journalism major and director of CARPOOL public relations.
CARPOOL began on Sept. 16, 1999, by former A&M student Jeff Schiefelbein who, after receiving a DWI in College Station, went to a Mother's Against Drunk Driving impact panel where he was inspired by a tragic drunk driving story and decided to begin a program unlike any other in the nation.
"CARPOOL was created to serve the community, keep Aggies and others safe, make roads safer and make the community safer," Barbier said.
At the end of this past weekend CARPOOL had given a total of 50,409 rides, with 5,264 rides in the spring semester alone, and 12,209 rides for the 2003-04 school year - almost a 20 percent increase from last year's numbers, Barbier said.
"We are really excited about this," Barbier said. "It's so great to see that in five years the community and the students at A&M have really embraced CARPOOL."
Drivers Patrick Barrett and Heather Tijerina gave the milestone ride, and said they were excited to be a part of it.
Tijerina, a sophomore psychology major, said this is her first semester with the program and that Friday was a busy night for her and Barrett.
"To me it means that 50,000 people have been kept safe, and we are looking forward to another 50,000," Tijerina said.
Ben Carter, a senior finance and marketing major and CARPOOL chair, said it was inspiring to reach this many rides, and that CARPOOL has been focusing on not just giving rides to people, but promoting the message of making responsible decisions.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com