Almost ready for the road: Paving the Way program graduates five students

Live 2 Give Hope graduated five students from its driving and life skill program Thursday with cheers from the graduates’ parents and the program’s community partners.
Program Director Laura Gartin explained that Paving the Way is a 40 hours, two-week summer program for youth to learn driving and other life skills. The free program provides half a high school credit for personal finance through Lebanon Schools.
The students, who must have their driver’s permits and not their licenses, spend fifteen hours in seated driver’s education. Other course time is spent on the road, learning home management skills like cleaning, career exploration, and other skills. MU Extension also provides culinary lessons for lunch.
Among other community partners this year were the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office and Lebanon R-3’s Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Professional Studies (GO CAPS).
Gartin said her organization offers this program once a summer in Lebanon – this was the fifth year in Lebanon – with an additional program in Buffalo being offered the last two weeks of July thanks to a Missouri Department of Transportation grant.

“If they [prospective students] have their permit, and they’re willing to commit to the two weeks, then we are happy to have them,” Gartin said.
Graduates spoke on the value the program provided them. Hazel Miller thought the program allowed new drivers to learn without pressure from their parents’ gaze. Steven Fries agreed, saying the program was good for building confidence.
Miller also highlighted learning about finances.
“No one really thinks to talk to teenagers about that stuff, because they think they won’t really care,” she said. “But, you know, I’m two years away from being eighteen and being out. I need to know how to do taxes, and what to do with my credit score and everything, and it [the program] helps well with that.
At the ceremony, the program organizers celebrated special moments, volunteers, community partners, and graduates. Laden with graduation gifts like emergency roadside kits and Hot Wheels, the graduates seemed to leave the program more confident in their driving abilities.
Graduates included Miller, Fries, Austin Brown, Joseph Morrow, and Cali Swartzlander.