WHEREAS, the American Automobile Association Safety Patrol Program, a program designed to ensure safety during students' daily commutes, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020; and
WHEREAS, the American Automobile Association (AAA) School Safety Patrol Program is a program that enlists the assistance of select volunteer students to help younger students and classmates cross the street and navigate traffic hazards on their way to and from school; and
WHEREAS, the concept of the AAA School Safety Patrol Program came from Charles M. Hayes in 1920, who pledged support for a program protecting school-aged children after witnessing a terrible car crash; the program is now 100 years strong and continues to have a positive impact on schools, students, and communities; and
WHEREAS, members of the AAA School Safety Patrol Program play an important role in helping young pedestrians learn and fulfill responsibilities regarding traffic safety, with millions of boys and girls in the United States having honorably served their classmates since the program began; and
WHEREAS, today, the AAA School Safety Patrol Program is the largest school-based safety program in the world, boasting more than 679,000 patrollers in 35,000 schools across North America and 30 countries while providing a safer environment for young pedestrians and a spectrum of educational opportunities for children; and
WHEREAS, the AAA School Safety Patrol Program embodies the organization's mission of providing safety and security to the motoring public; and
WHEREAS, the AAA School Safety Patrol Program and the outstanding students who have dedicated themselves to improving safety in and around their respective schools have enhanced the quality of life in communities across the globe; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the American Automobile Association School Safety Patrol Program on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the American Automobile Association as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's mission and best wishes for its continued success.