Driving Jacks Gives Nacogdoches a Safe Ride Home

Started in the late fall of 2004, Driving Jacks is an organization that promises to give free, non-discriminatory rides to anyone in Nacogdoches, within the loop, who may have had too much to drink.

Driving Jacks was the brainchild of Amy Shields, a former member of SGA. She started this project in the late fall of 2004. The organization is modeled after Texas A&M's safe ride program. Later in 2004, Amy Shields was killed in a tragic car accident.

The organization finally came to fruition in January 2007. Driving Jacks started Jan. 25 with only ten members and about 5-6 calls a night.

Amanda Williams taking the first ever Driving Jacks call.

In the course of one semester Driving Jacks was able to grow into a very popular organization giving 619 rides in four months. At the end of the Spring 2007 semester, Driving Jacks had doubled in size and was giving about 20 rides a night.

Driving Jacks in its first night of operation.

"Right now we're sitting at about 45 members, and giving anywhere between 20-25 rides a night," said Matt Bodin, Houston senior and Driving Jacks president.

Since school started about three weeks ago, Driving Jacks has given almost two hundred rides.

Driving Jacks gives rides every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

For more information call (936) 652-6600. To sponsor Driving Jacks e-mail: drivingjacks@yahoo.com. Please visit the Driving Jacks website at: www.drivingjacks.com