The PEAK Performance student group at Colorado Mountain College launched a seatbelt safety campaign called "Click It For Steph" in response to a tragic car accident that killed one student, Stephenie Jo Zgorzynski, who was ejected from the vehicle because she was not wearing a seatbelt. The group handed out candy bars to those wearing seatbelts and lollipops to those who were not as part of their ongoing awareness efforts across multiple campus locations. They also planted a memorial tree for Steph and put up permanent signs around campus to promote seatbelt safety and honor her memory. The campaign was well-received and successfully raised awareness about the importance of wearing seatbelts.

1. CLICK IT FOR STEPH:
A SAFETY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Colorado Mountain College
Glenwood Springs, CO
Katie S. Richard W. Brooke L. Jessica A. Tyler P. Melanie A. Brittney M. Erick Z. Alex C. Nick S. Abbie K.
Promoting Safety with Dum-Dum’s and Chocolate

2. In the Face of Tragedy…
On the night of October 20, 2011, four Colorado
Mountain College students were involved in a serious
car accident… three survived. Stephenie Jo Zgorzynski
died on the way to the hospital after being thrown
from the car that had rolled multiple times. The
survivors each sustained injuries serious enough to
require at least a one night stay in the hospital. Injuries
included: a broken back, broken elbow and deep
facial lacerations. Because Steph had not been
wearing her seatbelt, CMC’s PEAK Performance
decided that it was necessary to raise awareness
about the five seconds it takes to buckle a seatbelt.

3. Turning Adversity into Action
After the accident, we as a
health and wellness group,
knew that we needed to act.
We spent time planning our
campaign, always remaining
respectful to anyone that was
involved. Rather than a one-
day event, we, as PEAK,
decided to repeat our event
every few weeks at multiple
locations to interact with as
many people as possible while Each PEAK member had an equal role
in planning and participating in each
reinforcing the importance of event that took place. Jobs included
wearing a seatbelt- no matter making signs, handing out candy bars,
how short the drive! photographing, planning, collaboration,
shopping, and organizing materials
(signs, bracelets, candy).

4. A Team Effort to Promote Safety
We made signs to encourage safe driving but
out efforts were our main advertising: as
students, faculty, and community members
drove in and out of campus, we gave them
full-size candy bars if they were wearing
seatbelts and passed Dum-Dum lollipops to
those who were not.
Engaging with those who stopped was immensely
more effective than putting up signs or holding a
one-time event. Handing out candy bars every
couple weeks encouraged safety and everyone
was happy about it… even the bicyclist that got a
Snickers for wearing his helmet!

5. CMC PEAK Makes NOYS!
Raising awareness and speaking in honor of Steph,
CMC’s PEAK Performance dedicated days to
distracted driving simulators, distracted driving
programs and of course our flagship Seatbelt
Awareness Program. Unlike Tyler Presnell, featured by
NOYS, Steph did not survive a car crash. For months
our student body focused on the tragedy, but we, as
PEAK, decided that it was time to reach out to our
community.
Collaborating with Student Government and
Phi Theta Kappa, we planted a tree at the
Vet Tech Farm where Steph spent all her
days taking classes and riding horses.
Inspired in part by what Dianne Feldman did
for her daughter Casey, this tree will live on
as a memorial for Steph.

6. Everyday Awareness
In an effort to create a permanent reminder of the
dangers of not wearing a seatbelt, PEAK purchased
signs to be hung around campus. The signs read: “Click
It 4 Steph. In loving memory of Steph Jo Zgorzynski
3/20/93 – 10/20/11” We plan to expand this
awareness by purchasing more signs and extending the
reach from the campus community to the local
community. By doing this, we hope to prevent future
accidents by reminding everyone leaving campus to
fasten their seatbelts.

7. Community Efforts
Throughout this process, other
groups on campus became very
interested in what we were doing
and because of this we
collaborated with many of them
on our efforts. These groups
include: Student Activities Council,
Vet Tech program, Women’s
Forum, Student Government
Campus Store, Roaring Fork Co-
op, Residence Life Staff, Student
Ambassadors, Glenwood local
nursery, and CMC Administration. Calla Fisher, the young women in the front
The help that we received from row second from the left was one of the
outside sources led to the success
of this program. passengers in the accident. She sustained a
serious back injury that effected her
everyday life. She was an active
participant and eager to join our efforts.

8. Continuing Efforts
Taking inspiration from the Oprah Winfrey show we
continued our efforts to educate students on distracted
driving. “No Phone Zone” is a program that informs
students not only of the dangers of using a cellular
phone while diving but other forms of distraction as
well. At the end of the event we invited students to sign
a pledge (below picture) stating they would not use
their phone while driving.
Seeing the bracelets
on the NOYS website,
our group decided to
make our own “Click It
For Steph” bracelets
to honor Steph.

9. Response and Feedback
“The PEAK students chose to create a positive
outcome from a tragic student accident. We all
need to be reminded of the importance of
ALWAYS wearing seatbelts and the “Click it for
Steph” campaign does this while memorializing
“ ‘Click It For Steph’ is an excellent a caring, loving student whose life ended so
example of how our students turned unexpectedly.” –Lisa Doak, CMC Dean of
a tragic event into a respectful Student Affairs
learning opportunity for the students
as well as college personnel. PEAK
Performance developed innovative
strategies that not only changed
behavior but ultimately saved lives.
Their dedication to respectfully
honoring a student’s memory is an
inspiration to us all.” –Mark McCabe
(Assistant Vice President of Student
Affairs)

10. The Big Picture
The responses we have received from the community have been very supportive and
positive. We truly feel like we have made an impact on students with these efforts and
this is apparent through the increased involvement on campus. When we began this
campaign, our overall goal was to highlight the preventable nature of this tragedy.
Taking action gave our students that were directly involved an emotional outlet,
something positive to focus on, and a sense of accomplishment. We will continue the
“Click It For Steph” campaign in upcoming semesters at CMC. Our future goals are:
purchase more traffic signs for the community, continue with the candy bar seatbelt
campaign, extend the bracelet giveaway, and never forget Stephenie Jo Zgorzynski.
Click it for Safety
Click it for Steph
Click it for You