TIFTON–The Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) Advancement Foundation has been awarded an $11,095 grant from the Georgia Young Adult Program. Funded through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the grant helps to promote education and awareness for young, inexperienced drivers ages 16-24 about highway safety issues such as underage drinking and impaired driving.
This is the 18th year of the Young Adult program on ABAC’s campus. Projects within the program involve collaborations with the campus Greek community, student athletes, camps, police, health and wellness departments, and counseling services.
Activities will include a DUI simulator, ThinkFast alcohol awareness training, and a Drunk Busters activity that simulates different levels of alcohol impairment using patented vision technology. In 2019, the program reached 2,800 students. Everyone from the Tifton area between the ages of 16 and 24 is invited to participate.
Scott Pierce, ABAC’s Director of Sponsored Programs, said, “We are very pleased to have this grant come to ABAC again this year. Through partnerships with the Tift County Commission on Children and Youth, the City of Tifton Police Department, and the Tift County Sheriff’s Office, this grant helps us reach out through our community. It gives us the opportunity to help lower the number and severity of alcohol-related incidents, making a real difference here in southwest Georgia.”
Dr. Christopher Kinsey will spearhead the Young Adult program. As the Director of Residence Life at ABAC, Kinsey seeks to provide the students of ABAC with a safe environment to learn and address the dangers of impaired driving. Through the educational opportunities of the GOHS Young Adults program, ABAC students can face these dangers without facing the harsh consequences of personally making mistakes while behind the wheel of vehicle.
The grant runs through Sept. 30, 2021. For more information, interested persons can contact GOHS at 404-657-9079. For more information on GOHS and its other highway safety programs, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.
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