Slow Your Roll campaign urges drivers to slow down around kids

By Jensen, Randy on May 20, 2020.

Chris DiPasquale has been encouraged by the support he has received for his #SlowYourRoll Kids At Play campaign to help make the roadways safer for children. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHerald

Tim Kalinowski

Lethbridge Herald

tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

A local group is trying to encourage drivers in Lethbridge to slow down and be more aware of kids at play near our streets while driving.

The Slow Your Roll Campaign is distributing signs which state simply “Kids at Play” to anyone who would like to put one up in their yard. The campaign came to life after a 10-year-old Lethbridge boy was recently killed after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street.

“Charles McIntyre tragically passed a short while ago,” said the campaign’s co-founder Chris DiPasquale, “and that hit our community really hard and we wanted to make change. We wanted to promote safer driving. With kids not being in school right now it’s important we create awareness for drivers to slow down, and be aware kids are out playing daily.”

The campaign has thus far raised $3,000 in donations for local food banks and put up more than 150 signs.

DiPasquale had submitted a letter through Mayor Chris Spearman during Tuesday’s city council meeting asking for $5,000 more in support to build more signs and increase the impact of the group’s awareness campaign.

City council received the letter for information, and for potential future consideration.

“The next step would be if the funding keeps getting put through,” said Pasquale, “We will create more signs and then we can provide more signs to the community at a reduced cost. And we will continue to raise funds for the Lethbridge Food Bank, and specifically the Mindful Munchies program.”

DiPasquale thanked council for publicly receiving his group’s letter, and highlighting the accompanying social media campaign #slowyourroll.

“The awareness campaign is first (for us), for sure,” he said. “We want to avoid any tragedy moving forward in our community, and we can’t thank everybody enough for their involvement.”

Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter

Comments are closed.