I learned about the Every 15 Minutes program from my oldest son who graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 2020. This program, which includes a mock crash scene, left a big impression on him.

Unfortunately, COVID took away the opportunity to have this at Durham High School in 2021. The last time E15M was held at DHS was in 2018. I didn't want the class of 2023 to miss the experience of witnessing the potential effects of drinking and driving in a SAFE environment, so in August 2022, I volunteered to bring this back to DHS.

DUSD applied for and was awarded the E15M grant available thru the California Office of Traffic and Safety. This grant covers many costs associated with hosting this 2-day event. Unfortunately, there are certain costs associated with putting on a quality event that are NOT reimbursable. This is where you can help!

My goal is to raise $3,000 to help cover costs accrued outside the parameters of the grant. For example, the production cost for the E15M video we intend to generate is $1,000 more than allowed by the grant. There are donations we would like to make to the speakers who are graciously giving their time to share their personal stories of tragedy associated with drinking and driving. I want to provide food for the student volunteers and committee volunteers for the 2 days we are immersed in E15M activities. Lastly, I would like to leave a cushion of funds for the next group of volunteers who willingly take on this project. The committee that tried to bring this to DHS in 2021 had raised some money for their event. Since it didn't happen, those funds were available for me to put down deposits while I waited with uncertainty to learn if DHS would be awarded the grant. This was very helpful and helped to assuage my worries a bit while I awaited news of whether DUSD was going to be given the grant.

If you wish to donate to this fund, I can assure you that you will be recognized in both the assembly program and the E15M video credits. All funds raised here will be donated to DHS PTS. DHS PTS in turn is able to help make donations possible for the purposes referenced above. If you wish to donate directly to DHS PTS for E15M, you can. Please include "DHS E15M" with any donation. Thank you, in advance, for helping me bring this very valuable lesson to the students of Durham High School.

With gratitude,

Christy Dyrr, Parent Volunteer / E15M Lead Parent Coordinator