Local organization receives award for offering driving refresher courses in 2013
Hauppauge, New York — From more than 18,000 organizations nationwide, AARP Driver Safety recently recognized the Hauppauge Library with the inaugural “Top 100 Host” Award for its outstanding support in 2013. The Hauppauge Library has supported AARP Driver Safety since 2002 by collaborating with local volunteers to host its classroom-based driving refresher course, designed to help drivers age 50 and older stay safe and confident behind the wheel.
“AARP Driver Safety plays a critical role in educating drivers and helping them maintain their safety and independence,” said Julie E. Lee, vice president and national director of AARP Driver Safety. “Our initiative would not be so successful without the support of our host organizations, who generously dedicate staff time, resources and facility space to serving older Americans.”
From January 1 through December 31, 2013, The Hauppauge Library offered 12 courses at its facility, reaching 392 participants in the Hauppauge area. To offer some perspective as to just how momentous this achievement is, AARP Driver Safety volunteers work with more than 18,000 local community organizations to offer more than 30,000 AARP Driver Safety courses each year. Collectively, the top 100 of these 18,000 hosts held 2,000 courses and reached more than 43,000 participants last year.
AARP Driver Safety’s Top 100 Hosts are recognized based on the following criteria. Of the thousands of organizations that held a course in 2013, the top 75 hosts that reached the largest number of participants were selected. From the remaining organizations, the next 25 hosts that held the highest number of courses were selected. Using these criteria allowed AARP Driver Safety to recognize hosts that are tremendously supportive, but may not be located in as densely populated areas.
The Hauppauge Library continues to offer AARP Driver Safety events, including the new and enhanced AARP Smart Driver Course, which was released in January. The course is open to drivers of all ages, and AARP membership is not required to take the course. For more information, visit www.aarp.org/drive.
