Two Metro Detroit AAA Safety Patrollers Earn Top 'Lifesaving' Honors, Third Grayling Student Named 'Patroller of the Year' in National Ceremony

DEARBORN, Mich., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Two courageous quick-acting AAA Safety Patrollers at Defer Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Park are being presented with the AAA School Safety Patrol Lifesaving Medal at ceremonies today in Washington, D.C.  Fifth graders Michael Grady and Jerome Manning are being honored with the highest award given to members of the AAA School Safety Patrol for their heroic efforts in saving the life of a person in imminent danger.

A third Michigan patroller – Molly Leslie, a fifth grader from Grayling Elementary School in Grayling – is being honored as a "AAA Safety Patroller of the Year."

Michael Grady was on morning duty September 16, 2009.  He checked the intersections and noted they were clear as he allowed six students to cross.  Just as they stepped off the curb, Michael noticed a car making a turn around the corner, accelerating as it approached the group.  Knowing the students were in danger, Michael stepped through the group, stretched out his arms and prevented them from continuing into the path of the vehicle.  The vehicle was within a foot of Michael as he placed himself between the car and the students.  His bravery and quick action saved their lives.

Jerome Manning was at his post at Defer on January 12, 2010.  His assignment involves helping students cross the busy school driveway.  On this morning, cars were parked along the perpendicular road to the school, hindering visibility to the school's entrance.  Jerome checked for traffic, saw the path was clear and signaled for a student to cross.  As the student began to cross, a vehicle turned the corner without stopping.  Jerome realized the driver didn't see the student and the vehicle wasn't going to stop.  Without hesitation, he pulled the student by his backpack, out of the way of the oncoming car. The vehicle missed the student by six inches.  If it wasn't for Jerome's quick action, the student would have been hit.

The two, along with three other patrollers from across the country, are being presented with the "AAA Lifesaving Medal."  Since the "Lifesavers" program began in 1949, 382 boys and girls from 31 states and the District of Columbia who have been saluted.

In Northern Michigan, Molly Leslie takes pride in being part of her school's safety patrol.  Patrols at her school alternate one month on and one month off – but she chose to be part of both groups and patrols every day, two times a day.  She honed  her safety skills by attending summer camps where she learned emergency first aid, fire and road safety.

The AAA School Safety Patrol – the motor club's signature pedestrian safety program – is a proud tradition since 1920.  Today it includes more than 500,000 patrollers in 50,000 schools across the United States and Canada.    The program has a long history of helping young people become leaders by teaching discipline, responsibility, and concern for others.

SOURCE AAA Michigan