Many may recall the tragic story about the child being crushed under bus tires. School Bus safety drives home the point that on a school bus, nothing is more important than the passengers' safety, and safety is everyone's responsibility. Note: Bus Books are a component of Arise Foundation's larger SOS (Secrets of Success) cognitive life skills program.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Edmund F. Benson and his wife Susan are co-founders of the Miami-based ARISE Foundation. Benson grew up in Boston and at 14, he signed up for the Massachusetts State Guard, eager to do his part during World War II. The U.S. Merchant Marine was next at age 16, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 19.
By the time he was 21, he had established a sales organization which later expanded into a chain with 18 furniture-rental showrooms with locations from the east coast to Texas. In 1972, he moved his headquarters to South Florida. Since retiring in 1982, Edmund has devoted 100 percent of his time and energy to making the state a healthier, safer place for everyone—especially school-age youths.
Susan Benson, M.S. Ed., is a professional educator with 30 years experience in teaching hearing-impaired and learning-challenged children. In 1987 she was a regional finalist for the prestigious “Teacher of the Year” award, having pioneered the concept of mentoring, with high school and college students as role models and teachers. Susan has placed 300 student volunteers to teach “safety smarts” to elementary school students in Dade County public schools.
Galvanized into action in the early 1980s by the “Miami Monster” (a term coined by Edmund), Dade County’s dangerous new garbage incinerator, Benson battled for more than 15 years—investigating, organizing, researching, conducting surveys, leading marches. These persistent efforts resulted in the filing of a lawsuit by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation against Dade County. The county then terminated its contract with the incinerator’s builder/operator and completely rebuilt this facility.
In 1986, the Bensons established the ARISE Foundation Secrets of Success (SOS) program to educate residents and public officials about the numerous threats to the environment—and human health and safety—spawned by chemical carelessness and a throw-away society. Today, ARISE has emerged as a widely respected, nonprofit educational foundation. Thousands of at-risk youth, pre-K through high school, are taught how to succeed by using reality based, award-winning, statistically proven life-readiness skills. Through SOS, youths learn to effectively communicate, reason, analyze, and make intelligent choices for themselves, by developing respect for self and society.
The Bensons’ long list of awards, commendations, and honors is long and distinguished. They served on and chaired the Miami-Dade Environmental Task Force after it was created at their urging. Edmund and Susan were key members of other task forces established at his request—for Dade County Public Schools and Jackson Memorial Hospital—to encourage waste reduction and promote recycling. Their extraordinary dedication has been acknowledged by Miami-Dade County with the naming of Edmund F. Benson Boulevard. They have been applauded by President George Bush’s “Thousand Points of Light.”
In 1990, the same year Benson won the Miami Herald’s “Spirit of Excellence” Award, county officials honored him with the creation of “Edmund F. Benson Day.” He is the recipient of Renew America’s “Searching for Success” Award, the National Giraffe Award for “Americans who stick their necks out,” the Allstate Safety Leadership Award, the Stephen P. Clark Dade Partners Exemplary Award, Choice Champion Award, Excellence in Education, and the “Golden Rule” Award from JC Penney.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
