EVENT MARKS 20 YEARS OF TEEN SAFETY VOLUNTEERS KEEP DRINKERS OFF ROADS.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS  Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Almost 20 years ago, a string of drunk driving crashes killed six Santa Clarita Valley teenagers during just 18 months, bringing national attention to the community.

Three of the four were friends of Penny Upton's children. One of the crashes happened just steps from the Upton family's home.

The mother of four decided she had to do something.

Upton brought Safe Rides to Santa Clarita, a program that operated at the time in 14 other communities, offering teens who had been drinking a safe and free ride home -- no questions asked.

Now, nearly 15,000 rides home later, Santa Clarita Safe Rides is the last of its kind. Upton is organizing a celebration to reunite volunteers and say thank you for two decades of a job well done. Upton encourages users of the service to come to the Saturday event as well.

``That would be wonderful if these wonderful people, who have put in all this time, could get a thank-you,'' Upton said.

Mary Montoya, a 20-year-old College of the Canyons student, has spent three years volunteering for the Safe Rides program. On any given night, she will pick up five to 20 young people who need a ride home. Montoya says that while a thank-you would be nice, she gets enough satisfaction just providing the service.

``Making sure people have a safe ride home, no matter the decision they made that night, is the most important part of Safe Rides for me,'' Montoya said.

A longtime supporter of Safe Rides, the local sheriff's station lists the service among its resources for teens. While there is no way to gauge the program's success in reducing drunk driving crashes involving teens, Safe Rides is valued.

``One drunk driver not on the road has (the) potential to save several lives,'' said Lt. Brenda Cambra, community liaison for the Sheriff's Department.

Lori Grimes, a Valencia sales executive, was part of the first class of teens to volunteer for Safe Rides in 1986. A Canyon High graduate, Grimes had been touched by the rise in teen deaths linked to drunk driving.

``During my time at Canyon, I saw way too many kids die,'' she said. ``I wanted to give teens a safer option.''

Grimes holds fond memories of the two years she spent volunteering for Safe Rides. ``There was such a camaraderie and a willingness to take time from their normal teen activities to be of service to their peers,'' she said.

Now, Grimes is encouraging her daughter, a freshman at Hart High School, to volunteer with Safe Rides, too.

``I want her to be a responsible citizen who is active in providing a solution to those choosing not to be responsible,'' she explained.

As Upton continues to prepare for her reunion celebration, she is thrilled to see generations of volunteers come through her office.

``I watch them grow and go from one lifestyle to another, and move on to college and families.''

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IF YOU GO

Safe Rides will hold a reunion for volunteers from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hyatt Valencia. For information, visit www.saferides.com or call [phone].

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IF YOU GO (see text)