MEDIA RELEASE: CAA honours the hard work and dedication of two School Safety Patrol program partners with Provincial Award

[ Left to Right: Kathryn Gratton, Elementary School Resource Coordinator and Deputy Chief Jason Saunders, Brantford Police Service. ]

CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is proud to recognize two of its CAA School Safety Patrol® (SSP) program partners, the Brantford Police Service and, Windsor-Essex Schools Safety Patrol Association (WESSPA) for their outstanding contribution and dedication to the program.

“CAA takes the safety of children and pedestrians very seriously and we work closely with our community and police partners to protect, educate and empower elementary school students to help keep their peers safe travelling to and from school.” says Tracy Marshall, manager of community relations at CAA SCO.

“We are proud to celebrate this year’s CAA School Safety Patrol Program Achievement Award winners for their commitment to the program’s mission of keeping school zones safe,” adds Marshall.

Kathryn Gratton, a civilian who works for the Brantford Police Service was recognized for going above and beyond to ensure program participants in her community were never left behind. Gratton has served her community through the CAA SSP program for four years and has trained over 2,300 Patrollers.

This year, when other local regions were unable to train Patrollers, Gratton sprung into action to ensure students wouldn't miss out on the program. She continued training her schools and voluntarily offered to train other schools as well. From the 2022/23 school year alone, she has trained 26 schools and over 500 Patrollers. She also attended each school individually and had a pizza party with snacks and drinks for the Patrollers to show her appreciation for their hard work throughout the year.

Through her proud involvement in the program, Gratton has clearly demonstrated the Brantford Police Service mission statement of being committed to enhancing safety for all.

Brantford Police Service have been participating in the SSP program for over 50 years.

[ Left to Right: Bernadette Arreola Community Program Consultant, CAA SCO and Linda Dowell, Windsor-Essex Schools Safety Patrol Association (WESSPA) ]

Linda Dowell, who has been with the WESSPA for 18 years as the SSP regional partner, was recognized for her exceptional leadership that has directly impacted the program’s success.

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the WESSPA brought back the CAA SSP program in September 2022 with 55 schools and over 1,000 Patrollers. Through Dowell’s leadership, WESSPA was able to re-integrate all their program components and incentives. This included ensuring Patrollers, bus operators and local police partners received extensive school bus safety and foot patrol training as well as hosting special events for program participants.

Despite being retired, Dowell has chosen to continue serving her community through the SSP program because of her passion and commitment to school zone safety.

The WESSPA have been participating in the SSP program for over 80 years.

The CAA School Safety Patrol® program has helped keep students safe in school zones since the 1920s by assisting at school crossings and on school buses. Every year, approximately 900 schools in Ontario participate in the CAA SSP program and CAA SCO partners with local partners to deliver the program.

For more information, visit www.caaschoolsafetypatrol.com.