Spotlight: Elizabeth Chatterton
We recently sat down with Liz Chatterton to chat about her work, volunteer service, and of course, beer advice:
M: Can you talk a little bit about what you do?
E: I’m a copywriter by trade. I work with The Zimmet Group on all kinds of communications writing. We primarily do training and development work and e learning. So, I work on whatever writing needs to get done here. It comes in many different forms.
M: How did you first get involved with Causewave?
E: I’m originally from Rochester, but I lived in Buffalo for six years after college. I was very involved in the Advertising Club there and really enjoyed being a part of that larger marketing community. When I moved back to Rochester, I wanted to get involved and found Causewave. It seemed like a great fit, because it offers a chance to combine volunteering and my professional life.
M: You’ve done a ton to support Causewave’s work lately, including participating in our event committee, attending various strategic roundtables, and leading fundraising efforts and events. Do any of those roles stick out as particularly fun or rewarding?
E: Last summer, I helped with the Join the Wave Indiegogo campaign. There was some added pressure because we had a specific goal and it was important to meet it, but that just made it more rewarding, once we were successful.
M: Well our team is so excited to see all that work and the generous contributions come to life in the construction.
M: Everyone has different ideas about how to make a difference in the community. What’s your philosophy?
E: I try to pick causes that are relevant to me personally. I’ve volunteered with Gilda’s Club in the past because a lot of people in my family were impacted by cancer, including cousins who lost their mother when they were very young. So, it was important to me to volunteer with Gilda’s programs for kids. That was an amazing experience, but at the same time I also want to think about how I can make the biggest impact. I have certain talents – so while I loved playing air hockey and coloring, my time is limited and I feel like I can make a bigger impact using my professional skills to make a difference.
M: Are there any personal projects you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?
E: I’m currently working on my first book. It’s a collection of human-interest stories that are particularly relevant to the Rochester community. I’m working on the details now, so stay tuned. I’m also planning an upcoming comedy night fundraiser to benefit the Every Minute Matters Initiative. I think it will be a fun way to support a good cause – and it’s a little bit different than some of the other events coming up.
M: I’ve heard you’ve a beer aficionado. Is there anything you’ve tried recently that you’d recommend?
E: I like to support local breweries as much as possible – and Switftwater and Stoneyard are two of my favorites. The Swiftwater DIPA, Brah is delicious, if you like citrusy IPAs.
M: What might readers be surprised to know about you?
E: It’s generally surprising to people that I worked in the beer industry for seven years. I probably know more about beer than most big, burly, bearded men. That’s unexpected.
M: Any last thoughts you’d like to share?
E: This seems like a pivotal time for our country and I’ve gathered that a lot of people are looking for ways to make an impact. It’s a great time to get involved in an organization that’s important to you - or step up what you’re already doing. It might seem like a small thing, to volunteer your time but if everyone does these small things we can make some big changes.
-March 8 Interview with Marta Driscoll and Elizabeth Chatterton
The Rotary Clubs of Monroe County
Service Above Self
What would you do if your major funder cut back on their support? The Rotary Clubs of Monroe County recently faced this dilemma with Camp Haccamo; a very special summer camp serving approximately 200 children and young adults with different abilities – all at no cost to camper families.
At this point, the board knew their current funding model was unsustainable. With their reserve funds quickly eroding, they asked Causewave to help revive Camp Haccamo’s fundraising program.
Our work together began with a survey designed to test current perceptions of Camp Haccamo. It survey confirmed what the board was feeling – that those who know Camp Haccamo, love it. For campers, it gives them an amazing adventure, away from home, for a full week. For caregivers, it provides much-needed respite.
The survey also revealed that many Rotarians had no relationship with the Camp, despite the support provided by their dues. The Rotary has been the primary funding source for the camp, so this disconnect exposed a threat.
Michael Ponomarev, a Causewave volunteer, conducted community-wide research on similar camps in Monroe County. He found that Camp Haccamo is unique in its breadth of different abilities it serves, and that there is an opportunity to serve many more families in need.
Armed with the research findings, the Camp Haccamo board participated in a brand development workshop facilitated by Causewave. The group developed a new brand platform that defined Camp Haccamo’s target audiences, personality traits, and their brand promise.
The brand came to life in an inaugural fundraising appeal last fall. With the letter, Camp Haccamo began building relationships with two key audiences. A long-time Camp Haccamo family shared their story with Rotarians, and an enthusiastic camp counselor shared her experiences with other potential donors.
Keeping in mind Causewave's goal of capacity building, our staff worked closely with Camp Haccamo's board on the 2016 appeal, while preparing them to run it independently this fall. Together, we created a project plan, vetted the donor list, created appeal templates and e-blasts, assisted with website optimization, and wrote customized thank you letters.
Camp Haccamo board member, Dick Butler, sent a note to project manager Mary Hadley saying, “It has been a pleasure working with you and Causewave on completing this project. You’ve shown a warm, can-do approach, focusing on solving the problems as they arose. Thank you for that!”
And we thank the Camp Haccamo board, and staff, for living their motto of “service above self,” as they passionately continue such important work in our community!
March 2017
Spotlight: Steve Marikos
We recently met with Steve Marikos to learn about his experience partnering with Causewave:
Can you talk a little bit about what you do?
When you boil it down, I’m a small business owner. I’m an insurance agent, though I like to say I’m in the protection business. We protect personal property, and offer life insurance, retirement assets, and voluntary workplace benefits.
In November, I celebrated my 40th anniversary with Allstate. I’ve worked since I was 9 years old and I’ve only had 2 employers: my dad’s restaurant and Allstate.
How did you first get involved with Causewave?
A few years ago, when the Allstate Foundation first considered sponsoring the local Distracted Driving Initiative, they asked me if I wanted to get involved with the steering committee. Since then, I’ve remained involved with the committee and secured funding through the Allstate Foundation each year.
You support our work in a lot of ways – as a Potter Society member, corporate supporter, and even as a Summer Smash bartender. Is there a project that has been most rewarding?
I like the Distracted Driving committee's effort to raise awareness and change behaviors with high schoolers. Getting schools to require distracted driving education before they can get a parking pass is great. I hope this can eventually become universal.
What causes are you most passionate about?
Recently, the causes I’m focused on are domestic violence (physical and financial), distracted driving, and veterans. Before I bought the insurance business, I volunteered regularly at the art gallery at Otto’s House, a part of the Veteran’s Outreach Center. I’m not a veteran, but I appreciate everything they’ve done. I’m really looking forward to getting more involved when I retire.
Do you have any thoughts or advice for other people who volunteer or support our work?
Rochester has a lot of challenges. The best thing to get engaged in is a cause you have a real passion for. If you’ve got a passion for it, it won’t feel like a burden, it will actually fuel you. Rather than spread yourself thin across a lot of causes, I’d say find a few and stick with them until you make a difference.
How do you take your coffee?
I’ll drink just about any kind of coffee (or beer). I’m not high maintenance when it comes to that.
Every Birdy Welcome
Behind the door of a construction trailer, sits nature-lover-turned-director, Natalie Payne, plotting trails and making plans. The doors of the Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium are not yet open, but that doesn’t deter efforts to work from the outside in. The ultimate goal? To inspire appreciation and stewardship of the cultural heritage and ecological evolution of the vast Finger Lakes region. Work is well underway to convert the former Branchport Elementary School into a hub for nature-lovers, but preserving their 16-acre wetland adjacent to Sugar Creek, a Keuka Lake tributary, has been priority number one.
The Townsend-Grady Wildlife Preserve is a pristine ecosystem filled with a variety of mammals, birds and waterfowl species. The unique soft-shelled turtle has also chosen to call this beautiful wetland home. Currently, the preserve is only accessible by a few crude paths; finishing these pathways, adding boardwalks, building observation platforms, and installing interpretive signage allows residents and guests to experience its beauty responsibly, without disturbing the friendly inhabitants.
Due to the small size of the museum team, Causewave Community Partners was asked to help develop a crowdfunding campaign to raise $15,000 for these much needed additions. Fundraising efforts kicked off with an online appeal, inviting area residents and museum supporters to “Take a Walk on the Wet Side.” The project was also featured in the Democrat and Chronicle. A Keuka Lake resident mailer and a well-planned social media campaign also allowed for a broader reach, finding its way to an anonymous donor, whose contribution tipped the scales to exceed the fundraising goal.
“The last envelope I opened contained a $5,000 donation to the wetland campaign! Thank you so much for all of your efforts...it really paid off.” - Natalie Payne, Executive Director
Causewave is continuing its partnership with the museum through the development of a museum membership program. Central to this work are two powerhouse volunteers, Nancy Bloom and Alan Cohen, who are bringing their years of market research and strategic planning experience to create a strategy that takes advantage of the Museum’s current program offerings, and will evolve as more of its vision comes to life.
Spotlight: John Myers
Can you tell us a little bit about Myers Creative Imaging?
We’re a full service imaging company, doing both stills and motion. Having been around for close to 30 years now, we can help people who come to us with an idea develop it into a fully fleshed creative concept.
How did you get involved in volunteering with Causewave?
I think my first project was the Austin Putters Golf Tournament sometime in the late 1990s. Back then, many agencies would bring me in directly so I didn’t necessarily know the staff at The Ad Council or the details of what they were working on. I then helped with creative for events many years, including the Mad Magazine concept in 2003, Golf to the Xtreme in 2004, and this year’s inaugural Summer Smash.
You’ve partnered with us on a long list of projects. It there one that’s been most rewarding?
The videos I’ve been working on for the Join the Organ Donor Registry initiative the last few months have been really impactful. It’s been great to have the opportunity to share stories of local people whose lives have been saved by receiving an organ transplant. And the team at Finger Lakes Donor Recovery are so passionate about expanding the registry to save more lives– they’ve been wonderful to work with.
We notice you’ve got a special knack for making people feel comfortable in front of a camera. How do you do it?
It’s always been important to me that the studio is a welcoming place that people actually look forward to coming to. We try to keep that consistent in everything we do, from having an inviting space, to how we make everyone who comes to the studio feel at home. Even people who’ve been in front of the camera many times can get stiff and need help letting their authentic self come through.
How do you take your coffee?
I like to say I’m naturally caffeinated so I don’t drink coffee to keep me going during the day. That said, I’m Italian and enjoy a nice espresso with dinner. When I do drink coffee, I like a quality brew. I even bought a Royal Dutch Coffee maker on a trip to Belgium once. It’s amazing – look it up on YouTube.
Do you have any advice for other people who volunteer with us?
I’ve been tremendously fortunate in this life. As I get further into my career, what’s important to me is giving back to the community that has been so generous to me. As creatives we have a special opportunity to make a difference in our community because we have the ability to move people. We have to use our talents to give back.
Library Transforms into 21st Century Hub of Discovery
A time traveler from all the way back in 2005 wouldn’t even recognize the Gates Public Library of today. First of all, it is no longer in the same location. And second, the former small, dated facility has been replaced with a beautiful, two-story glass, steel and wood structure on Elmgrove Road. Utilization is up – way up – and a new energy permeated the new place.
“All the success we were having was great,” according to Greg Benoit, Library Director. “But it was also bringing the library to a crossroad. The needs of the community had changed and our programs and resources were in high demand. The library needed to evolve quickly to keep up with changing technology and the interests of our patrons. We were concerned that if we couldn’t do that, we’d lose the momentum we’d built. We wanted to find a way to use this energy to become the hub of community activity and life-long learning in Gates.”
State and local funding covered the cost of library operations, but didn't provide the library the additional resources to achieve their ambitious goals. A group of passionate board members, staff and Friends of the Library decided to launch a foundation.
Causewave Community Partners worked with this group to develop a vision: The Gates Public Library Foundation would allow the library to innovate and demonstrate the success of pilot initiatives that support literacy efforts, make emerging technologies accessible to patrons, and create a vibrant place of discovery for the community.
To get the fledgling foundation off the ground, we partnered on a series of strategic planning efforts – from mission and vision development to a constituent survey, SWOT analysis, communications planning and support of their first annual appeal. David Robertson, of Linchpin Strategy, volunteered to partner with us on the communication plan and public relations efforts.
Fundraising efforts kicked off last fall with a public appeal, inviting the community to support a new afterschool program with Neil Armstrong elementary school. The initiative was profiled in the Democrat and Chronicle and the appeal raised enough funds to launch the pilot this May.
“Causewave partnered with our group and really helped us find the direction we all believed we needed,” Benoit said. “They helped us develop a plan that we could implement, and we’ve been building on it ever since. We know where we’re going, and we are making real, visible progress towards getting there.”
Spotlight: Paul Infantino
This spring, Paul Infantino began volunteering with us.
He brought 20 years of experience assisting over 15 local and national nonprofit organizations, and offered to volunteer a couple hours each day to help with administrative projects. Paul also has years of experience with Salesforce, the CRM tool we use.
In the past few months, Paul has been a huge help on internal projects that are making us more efficient and effective. He has also volunteered at several of our events, including our Annual Celebration and Nonprofit Workshop Series.
Paul’s deep commitment to improving our community is inspiring. We’re lucky to work with him and incredibly thankful for all of his support!
Momentous Changes to Organ Donation Laws in NY
On May 10th, Program Manager Elizabeth Murray and our partners at Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network traveled to Albany to meet with New York State Assembly members and advocate for four pieces of legislation that will increase the number of people enrolled in the NY organ donor registry.
One priority this year was the extension of "Lauren’s Law," an existing law that requires applicants at the DMV to answer the organ donor registry section of the application by either 1) choosing to enroll or 2) postponing their decision (in the past, the question could be skipped). In the first month after the original law went into effect, the percentage of people signing up at the DMV nearly doubled!
We are pleased to report that THREE of these four key pieces of legislation have now been passed by the NYS Assembly: a 4-year extension of Lauren’s Law, which was scheduled to expire in October 2016; Young Adult Enrollment, allowing individuals aged 16 and older to enroll in the NYS Donate Life Registry; and the opportunity for residents to enroll through NY State's Online Health Insurance Marketplace. We are hopeful that the remaining bill will be passed by the Assembly as well.
Thanks to these legislative actions, people currently on the organ donation waiting list will have a greater chance of receiving a life-saving transplant!
Innovative partnership supports Distracted Driving Initiative
Every month, hundreds of your friends and neighbors are ticketed for distracted driving. Phil Schultz gets to meet many of them.
And it's not because he is issuing those tickets – though he did that for 23 years as a uniformed officer. Today, Phil is founder of Empire State Safety Instructors (ESSI). ESSI offers a distracted driving diversion program for those convicted (first offense) of distracted driving.
His “Driven to Distraction” course serves three purposes: helping drivers understand how dangerous their distracted behaviors are, allowing drivers a chance to reduce the points on their license, and providing funding for distracted driving outreach efforts, in partnership with Causewave Community Partners.
In 2015, ESSI provided approximately $15,000 (through a portion of each course registration fee) to support Causewave’s work on preventing distracted driving. And there’s evidence it's working.
New York State has gotten behind distracted driving prevention. That much is obvious to anyone driving down the Thruway, with Text Stops at every rest area. But the greatest evidence is the penalty for those caught: the combination of five license points and between $50 and $200 (plus surcharges) is a powerful disincentive for those who would look at their electronics instead of the road. (See more about the fees and fines here: https://dmv.ny.gov/tickets/cell-phone-use-texting)
The good news is there’s at least some evidence local drivers may be getting the message. A recent street-side survey of 11,000 cars at intersections across our community showed 20% fewer distracted drivers than when measured two years before.
And that’s just fine with Phil Schultz. “I have spent my adult life trying to make roadways safer. I am happy to put myself out of business.”
Learn more about Causewave’s Distracted Driving Prevention campaign at www.urthatdistracting.org. Find Empire State Safety Instructors at https://empirestatesafetyinstructors.com.
Community comes together to open Light Hill home
It is especially rewarding for our volunteers and staff when we get the chance to see our capacity building work with a nonprofit come full circle. Recently we were fortunate to have that opportunity with the Canandaigua Comfort Care Home (CCCH).
CCCH, which provides a peaceful and compassionate home for the terminally ill and their families, first met with our team in 2014 as they looked for advice about launching a new nonprofit. We suggested they embark on a brand development process, to establish a guide for future organizational activities, behaviors, and decisions.
Shortly after developing their brand, CCCH used it to guide an important decision for the organization – what the home should be called. They partnered with us to facilitate the process to develop a new name, tagline and logo that align with their newly established brand.
Partnering with copywriter Julie Garland Clementi and designer Andrew Soucier, we helped their team come to consensus on an identity that accurately captures the positive and caring environment the home will offer its residents. The new name, Light Hill, communicates their mission – to promote comfort, peace, and living well through end-of-life journeys.
With hundreds of volunteers, donors, local businesses and supporters, Light Hill is truly a community-built and supported home. The staff and board wanted to bring all of their supporters together to celebrate the hard work that went into bringing the home to life before it welcomed its first residents.
Causewave assisted with the planning, coordination and communication an opening celebration on May 26th. Hundreds of supporters turned out to help open Light Hill just as they helped to build it – as a community.
Urban/Suburban 50th Anniversary
Last year, we partnered with Monroe #1 BOCES and the Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program to help coordinate a yearlong celebration of the program’s 50th Anniversary. The celebration kicked off with a breakfast at Irondequoit High School (where the program got its start) and culminated in June with a commemorative gala co-chaired by Jennifer Leonard, President & CEO of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and Dr. Walter Cooper, NYS Regent Emeritus.
While the benefits of this program to our community are many, our team was especially excited to get involved in this effort because of its vital role in desegregating our community – a key element in the fight against poverty.
The overall goals of our work with Urban-Suburban were threefold: to increase support for the program in currently participating school districts, to increase support in districts considering participation, and to help raise funds to support both the celebration year events and the Urban-Suburban Scholarship Fund.
As a result of this collaborative work, five new suburban districts signed on to participate in the program in the 2015-2016 school year, and several others have indicated interest in participating in upcoming years. Nearly 300 people celebrated the program at the June 12th Gala and community members donated over $47,000 to help Urban-Suburban continue its mission in our area.
H2O Hero: Water Pollution Prevention
Our region is home to some of the most beautiful freshwater in the world. Thanks to the abundance of this natural resource, we have access to plentiful clean drinking water, are a tourism destination, enjoy year-round recreational activities, and have untapped economic development potential.
Unfortunately, the Rochester Embayment area has been identified as 1 of 43 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes due to harmful human activity, while historical and current pollution problems continue to impair the quality of this precious resource.
With our partners at the Water Education Collaborative (WEC) and SIGMA Marketing, we are working to increase awareness and understanding regarding water quality and how individuals can make a difference. Since non-point source pollution principally comes from stormwater run-off, and is affected by people’s daily activities, the WEC’s overarching mission is to address this problem by promoting water quality education in the community and encouraging stewardship in one’s own backyard. The “H2O Hero” campaign launched in May 2007, and has seen success in the form of hundreds of additional volunteers and education delivered at the award-winning www.H2Ohero.org website, as well as rain barrel education.
Every Minute in School Matters
We’re working with the Rochester City School District (RCSD), Partners + Napier, ROC The Future, and other community organizations, to reduce chronic absenteeism in city elementary schools. Chronic absenteeism — defined as missing two or more days a month over the course of a school year — is directly linked to poor performance in every measure of student achievement.
This is a critically important issue in our community as the RCSD is currently the lowest performing district in New York State and more than 33% of students are chronically absent.
Every Minute in School Matters is a community impact initiative of people and organizations working together to improve student success by helping parents understand the critical link between early grade attendance and the long-term success of their child.
Partners + Napier developed a multimedia campaign with messages that encourage parents of pre-k - 3rd graders to embrace their responsibility to have their kids in school 100% of the time. The initiative is also working to increase programmatic supports to help parents overcome barriers that might prevent kids from getting to school like transportation, a problem at home, or lack of warm winter clothing.
We’ve seen promising initial results. Over the first two years of the initiative, there was an 20% reduction in the number of chronically absent students across all RCSD elementary schools, meaning 1,700 fewer students were chronically absent. In target schools, where there has been additional focus, there was an even greater decline in K-3 chronic absenteeism from 47% in ’13-’14 to 34% in ’15-’16.
Email info@causewave.org to find out how you can be part of the movement to boost student achievement in the Rochester City School District through this initiative.
PARTNERS: Rochester City School District | Partners + Napier | Tipping Point Communications | Charles Settlement House| Big Brothers Big Sisters | Ibero American Action League & PODER | City of Rochester | Monroe County Department of Human Services | Rochester Public Library | Goodwill of the Finger Lakes' 211/Lifeline | Wegmans
Nancy J. Farrell| United Way of Greater Rochester | Summit Federal Credit Union | ESL Charitable Foundation | Rochester Area Community Foundation | The Strong National Museum of Play | WDKX
Read about the 2017 "Cold Can't Stop Us" Winter Attendance Challenge here.
Let's Make Lead History: Lead Poisoning Prevention
Since 2004, we have worked alongside the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, Roberts Communications and dozens of other community organizations and individuals to address childhood lead poisoning. When the initiative launched, Rochester’s rates of lead poisoning exceeded the national rates by 10 times.
The City of Rochester passed a lead ordinance in 2006 that is one of the most ambitious in the nation. The policy has been recognized as a leader in cost-efficiency and effectiveness, having identified over 9,000 homes with interior lead hazards since it began.
The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning provides community-wide education to the general public, health professionals, property owners, contractors, and parent groups. Roberts Communications partnered with us to develop materials in multiple languages about lead paint hazards and the importance of getting children tested at ages 1 and 2.
Today, our region is looked to as a national model in reducing the number of children reported with lead poisoning, with an 85 percent reduction to date. In the past ten years, more than 5,600 children have been spared from the terrible effects of this public health hazard because of the collaborative efforts of local government agencies, the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, community agencies, and property owners.
Still, the job isn’t done yet. In 2014 there were 609 Rochester area children reported to have unacceptably high blood lead levels — that’s enough to fill more than 30 kindergarten classrooms.
Visit letsmakeleadhistory.org or email info@causewave.org to find out how you can be part of the movement to protect Rochester’s children from the dangers of lead poisoning.
PARTNERS: The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning| Roberts Communications | Greater Rochester Health Foundation |City of Rochester | Monroe County | Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency | BRX Global Research |Content Central | Icon Films |Forest McMullin Photography | Grant Taylor Photography
Get Screened Finger Lakes: Cancer Screening Awareness
For years, the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County (CSPMC) has been partnering with Causewave Community Partners on a messaging campaign focused on encouraging the uninsured or under-insured population to get breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings.
In the Rochester area, research shows a lack of insurance coverage is just one of many barriers to individuals seeking out and receiving cancer screenings. Other screening barriers include: fear of finding cancer, confusing screening guidelines, and not having time to get screened. The Get Screened Rochester initiative is all about connecting our community members with local resources that can help them overcome cancer screening barriers.
Our partners include Cancer Services Program of Monroe County, Center for Community Health-URMC, Common Ground Health, Greater Rochester American Cancer Society, Jordan Health, Martino Flynn, Paychex, Rochester Regional Health, and Wilmot Cancer Institute.
Visit getscreenrochester.org for more information.
Pass Life On: Organ Donation
When someone in need receives an organ, not only is their wait over—their new life can begin. To an organ recipient, a donor is the Greatest Person Never Known.
Organ donors can save up to eight people and impact countless more. Unfortunately, many people awaiting transplants live limited lives or die while on the waiting list. Although a majority of people hold a positive view of organ donation, many have not take the step of joining the organ donor registry.
With our partners at the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, the Pass Life On campaign encourages everyone to live life to the fullest and then help others to do the same by enrolling as an organ donor. The campaign also urges people to learn the facts about organ donation and talk to loved ones about their last wishes.
Our partners on the Pass Life On campaign include the University of Rochester Medical Center, National Kidney Foundation, Rochester Regional Health System, Lions Eye Bank at Rochester (formerly Rochester/Finger Lakes Eye & Tissue Bank), Excellus Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Transplant Awareness Organization of Greater Rochester. Creative development of this campaign was donated by Brand Cool.
Visit passlifeon.org to join the organ donor registry.
Yeah, You're THAT Distracting: Distracted Driving Prevention
Texting while driving is three times more dangerous than drunk driving—it increases your risk of a crash by 23 times (Virginia Tech, 2009) and is now the leading cause of teen deaths, according to a study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center.
The Yeah, You’re That Distracting campaign takes a unique approach by targeting the person outside the car – the driver’s family and friends. The message is simple: if you're talking or texting with someone while on the road, hold the conversation until a safer time. Otherwise, you could be the cause of an accident – or worse.
In 2012, Causewave conducted an observational study of local distracted driving behaviors –physically counting 11,000 cars – and found that one in every 34 drivers were visibly distracted by the use of a cellphone. In 2014, a follow-up study showed a 20% decline in distracted driving behaviors and that one in every 42 drivers were visibly distracted. The third installation of this study, conducted just this September, revealed that distracted driving has remained flat over the past two years.
There is more work to do. If you’d like to get involved please contact us or visit urthatdistracting.org.
This initiative is sponsored by Allstate, Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Rochester Automobile Dealers Association, Empire State Safety Instructors, and Rochester Regional Health.
Pro bono partners: Roberts Communications is the creative partner, Innovative Solutions developed the website, and Tipping Point Communications is our public relations partner.
Be Brave For Kids: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
In partnership with Bivona Child Advocacy Center, we are working to educate adults in our community about child sexual abuse and provide them with the tools they need to both recognize the signs and prevent it from happening.
The statistics speak for themselves. One of every four girls and one of every six boys is sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Only 1 out of 10 children who are sexually abused will tell someone. Some never disclose.
This initiative gets people talking about the problem and provides a confidential resource to help them determine what, if anything needs to be done.
Catalyst is our pro bono partner on this campaign. Other partners on this campaign include Monroe County Child Protective Services, and area school districts. Learn more at www.bebraveforkids.org.