A holiday tradition of safety: Tohge offering free rides home
The holiday fun is amping up across the island, but it's important that with the celebration you are able to get home safely. KUAM News went for a ridealong with one of the drivers of tohge here to help you do just that.
We buckled-up and got going with one of Tohge's Safe Drive Home drivers, as our driver, Eric Canovas, shared, "You know, everyone starts drinking around the holidays." He's one of the guardian angels for the holidays helping to keep drunk drivers off the streets.
“We know what it’s like, going out for the holidays or even just going out to enjoy the weekend," he continued. "We’ve been there, we don’t do that anymore, so if we could help give back, then we’ll try to do that.”
The service is completely free, and Eric said of riders, "They are actually happy."
Tohge is a recovery non-profit providing support services through lived experiences. Eric got involved through their peer academy after he found himself on the wrong side of the law. “You kind of learn how to advocate and help others that are going through recovery," he said.
It's lessons learned that he now shares with his community, explaining, “I was doing outreaches for them for around a year. So, we’re going to the schools, telling my story, telling them about the drugs on Guam and how it's affecting our island. And then, in August this year, I started there full time volunteering and then they gave me a little more responsibility.
"Since then, I’ve gone back every day.”
And why he now offers his time during the holidays to give back. “We have the resources and we’re always trying to think about how we can use what we have to give back to the community. If we can help keep it a safer island and bring down or prevent any accidents, then that's what we’re trying to do. Just help the island be a safer place," he said.
Eric and the other Safe Drive Home volunteers are ready to assist anyone who had a little too much to get behind the wheel. Tohge's free Safe Ride Home service is available through January 2 from 7pm to 3am.
You can reach them at (671) 787- 9276 or (671) 686-9276.