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Council recognizes Safety for Life student ambassadors and mental-health awareness winners
Summary
Council accepted a proclamation for Safety for Life Student Ambassador Day, heard from the organization’s executive director and student ambassadors, and presented a mental-health-awareness proclamation and student media contest awards; about 600 students entered the contest.
The Wellington Village Council used Tuesday’s meeting to recognize local youth-led safety and mental-health efforts, receiving presentations and proclamations for Safety for Life student ambassadors and for Mental Health Awareness and Trauma-Informed Care Month.
Safety for Life: Tara Applebaum, executive director of Safety for Life, and co-founders Esther and Brian Labovic described the nonprofit’s peer-ambassador program, crash reenactments and in-school programming aimed at reducing dangerous teen behavior on and off the road. Staff said the program has embedded about 700 student ambassadors countywide and has reached an estimated 60,000 students; Wellington high schools participate in the program. The council and vice mayor previously presented the Safety for Life proclamation at an earlier event; the organization was invited to the council meeting to accept recognition and show a video recap of activity in Wellington.
Mental health and student-media contest: The council presented a proclamation designating May as Mental Health Awareness and Trauma-Informed Care Month. Catherine Murphy, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Palm Beach County, described free, peer-led NAMI services and highlighted the "Get Your Green On" campaign. The Village’s Public Safety Committee presented winners of its sixth annual student media contest on mental-health awareness; staff said nearly 600 student entries were received and first-place winners received Visa gift cards funded by contest sponsors (including Vita Nova and FP&L). Council members praised peer-to-peer outreach, the new video category and student work.
Why it matters: Council members emphasized the importance of peer-to-peer outreach to reach teens and the role of community partnerships — schools, law enforcement, fire rescue and nonprofits — in supporting prevention and destigmatization of mental-health issues.
No action was required for the proclamations; the council took photos with award winners and thanked the students and partner organizations for their work.
