Two teens to be awarded new vehicles at police-sponsored program

Two Crystal Lake area students will be presented with a 2008 Pontiac G6 and a 2008 Pontiac Vibe at the Operation Click Luncheon and Awards Banquet on April 25 at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake.

Sam Oginni, General Motors Minority Dealers Association board member and president of Crystal Lake Pontiac GMC, has donated a car to the program for the past eight years. In honor of his commitment to his community and seat belt safety, he was recently presented with a Traffic Safety Partnership Award from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"I love giving back to the community and I believe in this program. It teaches responsibility and commitment to safe driving," Oginni said.

This year, due to the addition of four new schools, Oginni will donate two vehicles.

Operation Click organizers are considering adding 15 to 16 more schools for the upcoming school year.

"The car is a great motivational tool for young drivers. It's great to know that the program is making an impact on so many schools and students," Oginni said.

Operation Cool was created in 1998 by the Crystal Lake police department to encourage safe driving including the practice of "buckling up" with a safety belt. The program was renamed Operation Click in 2007. Students from Crystal Lake and local area high schools participate by signing contracts agreeing to wear their seat belts and avoid traffic tickets.

"The success of the Operation Click program's present and future is directly to what Sam has done. We asked a few dealers to donate cars, but Sam was the first dealer to say yes," said Officer Sean McGrath, president of Operation Click.

The police department conducts safety belt compliance checks to find out which schools have the fewest number of traffic tickets and the most students wearing their seat belts.

"For a lot of parents, their biggest concern is when their child starts to drive a car; Operation Click is the 'brass ring' that they are looking for," McGrath said.

For more information on Operation Click, visit www.operationclick.org.

Crystal Lake Pontiac GMC has served the surrounding community for more than a decade through sponsorship of various events and activities. The dealership encourages academic excellence by providing scholarship and internship opportunities for minority high school and college students through the GMMDA scholarship and internship programs.