KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The availability of school crossing guards is always in flux but the need for them remains the same.
Currently, volunteers from local non-profit groups take morning and afternoon shifts at key intersections to insure that students get across the road safely. Each time a volunteer fills a shift; their non-profit organization earns 10 dollars.
The program is administered by the Salvation Army which receives an annual donation from the borough for their efforts.
Captain Cathy Quinn talked about the Salvation Army’s role in program.
— (XGuard 1 "We are the … man a location.")
Quinn said that after the holidays, there was an increase in the number of crossing guard volunteers.
— (XGuard 2 "Actually, at this … stepped up for us."
She credits the increase in volunteers to the amount of attention the program’s been getting in the news.
Kodiak city councilman Terry Haines is another person who’s concerned about all of the shifts being covered. He wants the need for crossing guards to remain in the forefront of peoples’ minds. To do that, Haines has turned to technology and social networking.
— (XGuard 3 "So what we’ve done… crossing our fingers." )
Haines said that the Facebook page has led to some brainstorming about the best way to keep the program strong. One idea he mentioned was asking local businesses to provide incentives to volunteers who pitch in time after time.
Some thought has also been given to making the crossing guard job a paid position. The Salvation Army’s Quinn has another idea of how to keep crossing guard shifts full.
— (XGuard 4 "Ideally if I were … split a location.")
The topic of crossing guards was on the agenda for the city-borough joint work session last week. That meeting was postponed and will take place sometime next month.
