Please donate to make your community safer
You may know Safe Communities as the “slow down” yard sign people. We are, and we do much more.
We recently achieved a major milestone – becoming the first Safe Communities organization in Wisconsin , one of only six in the United States, and just the 160th in the world to receive International Safe Communities designation from the World Health Organization.
This prestigious and meaningful award is made by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion. In their report to the WHO Collaborating Centre, the safety professionals who oversaw our designation noted that our coalition is truly a model of what communities can accomplish when they join forces to reduce needless death and injury.
Here are a few examples of why we were selected as one of a small, international group of highly effective safe communities programs. Our coalition…
- Increased safety belt use among young rural drivers by 4%
- Built a falls-prevention network for Dane County older adults that has been touted by the Centers for Disease Control as a national model
- Educated 500 people about how to help someone they know survive a suicidal crisis
- Helped people get across the street safely with our pedestrian flag program and through community education
- Through successful federal grant writing, provided more than $120,000 in grants to law enforcement, schools and neighborhoods for local safety efforts
With this wonderful accomplishment of our International Safe Communities designation achieved, now is a great time to consider investing in our local Safe Communities organization, this year and for the long haul.
Here are just a few things to like about Safe Communities as an organization:
- Our staff is small (2 part-time staff) and their efforts are focused on fostering collaboration among nearly 300 partner organizations to reduce Dane County’s top causes of serious injury.
- * We are committed to effective programming. We promote safety initiatives that have been shown to reduce injury, and we evaluate our efforts.
- We have a track record of winning federal grants (we’ve been awarded every federal grant we’ve applied for) and, rather than building a staff empire, we have provided grants to partners to meet program goals.
- We are a true community coalition, bringing together diverse partners. Neighborhood associations and businesses, motorcycle rider groups and law enforcement, health care organizations, faith communities, and youth and older adult services providers are active members of our Safe Communities organization.
- We work to keep the most vulnerable members of our community safe: older adults, children, teen drivers, among others.
Times are tough, but please give what you can. Your contributions of $30, $50, $100, $500 or more will make a huge difference to our bottom line and our ability to continue the work for which we’ve been recognized. With your financial help, you have our promise that we will continue to invest your dollars in effective programs that make our community a better, safer place.
We are now set up to accept PayPal
Your contribution would be most appreciated! If you would rather send a check, please make it payable to “Safe Communities” and mail it to: P.O. Box 6652, Madison , WI 53716-0652.
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so know that your contribution is tax deductable. Safe Communities staff will be delighted to send you acknowledgement of your gift for tax purposes.
Please contact Cheryl Wittke, Safe Communities Executive Director at (608) 256-6713, cwittke@safercommunity.net, if you have questions or would like to discuss project sponsorship opportunities beyond a paid membership.
Given the breadth of the work we do, there are many opportunities to partner with your organization. Again, many thanks for your consideration!
Safe Communities of Madison/Dane County
