To Who it May Concern,

 On March 11^th and 12^th,  2004 the Stephenville High School will once again be the host site for an important event being staged by members of our community.  I would like to extend an invitation to your company to participate, through your financial support, in this emotion charged program entitled “Every 15 Minutes”.  As you recall, this event took place in the year 2000 and was a huge success.  This is an event designed to dramatically instill among teenagers the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol.  Every 15 minutes someone is killed in an alcohol-related traffic collision.  This powerful program will challenge students to think about drinking, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved.

 First day events will start with a student being called out by the “grim reaper” and removed from class, once every 15 minutes.  A police officer will immediately follow to read an obituary- written the night before by the “dead” student’s parents - explaining the circumstances of their classmates demise.  In a few minutes the student will return to class as the “living dead” complete with white face make-up and wearing a coroner’s tag.  From that point on “victims” will not speak or interact with other students for the remainder of the school day.  Parents of the “victims”, who are also volunteer participants, will receive mock notifications of their child’s “death” by Stephenville Police Officers.  Twenty four students - representing one every 15 minutes of the school day will be removed from classes. 

 In a mid morning mock traffic collision staged on campus, emergency personnel will respond to handle injured student participants.  Fatalities at the scene will be handled by the coroner, while injured people will be extricated by the Jaws of Life manned by Stephenville fire fighters and paramedics.  Stephenville police officers will investigate, arrest and book the student “drunk driver”.  Student participants will continue their experience by actually being taken to the morgue, the hospital emergency room and to the Erath County jail to be booked for drunk driving”.

 

At the end of the school day the students will spend the night away from their parents at a local hotel where planned activities will include writing letters to their parents telling them all the things they would have liked to have said before their choice to use alcohol took their lives.  Parents are also requested to write similar letters to their children, which will be shared the following day when students and parents will be reunited at a school assembly.  During the assembly presentations will be made by emergency response teams, law enforcement officials, high school staff, parents and the students themselves.  The focus of the assembly stresses the theme that the decision to consume alcohol can effect many more people than just the one who drinks it. 

 This very emotional and heart wrenching event will illustrate to students the potential consequences for their use of alcohol, regardless of how casual they believe their use may be. 

 We’re asking members of our business community, such as you, to participate in this powerful event by making a donation of $100, $50, $25 or being a corporate sponsor towards the costs of staging the event.  Your financial support will help us to educate our own community to the potential harms associated with the misuse of alcohol and other drugs through Drug Abuse and Resistance Education programs.

 This event has the participation of our Police and Fire Departments, Harris Methodist Erath County, and a wide cross-section of the community at-large.  On behalf of everyone involved – and especially the students who will directly gain from this event, we sincerely hope you will help us by making a contribution.   We will be more than happy to answer any questions and provide additional information if needed.  Please don’t hesitate to contact Officer David W. Milmo, Community Resource Officer at 254-918-1281.  Checks should be made payable to Stephenville Public Safety with a notation of “Every 15 Minutes”.  Our sincerest thanks for your consideration.

 Sincerely,

 David W. Milmo

Resource Officer

Stephenville Police Department