or emergency. The need for a Standard Unification Method growing to the 7500-10000 schools that use the SRP and
(SUM) was discovered after a 2003 school fire where there SUM today.
were some difficulties in reuniting parents with students.
The way the foundation evolved helped John Michael and
The Standard Response Protocol and the Standard Ellen to identify and create what was needed by extensive
Unification Method materials are available to school systems work with law enforcement, insurers and administrators.
free of charge. Train the trainer training, presentations to John Michael said “We did a lot of the right actions correctly
law enforcement, administrators, teachers and other first without having a brilliant master plan. Today we recognize
responders and stakeholders are available at additional cost. that what we do well is identify the missing piece and look
Within Colorado, the presentations and training are kept free around at who is doing it well, package that and redistribute
of charge. It is free of charge because of the funding provided it.” Because of all of the different players involved, these
by Emily’s Parade to the foundation.
put them into the perfect position to see where things were
Both John Michael and Ellen Keyes work for the foundation. needed and create protocols that are elegant and effective
John Michael works full time and has since he changed his helping all parties involved from teachers in the classroom
career in 2008. He decided that his work with the foundation to law enforcement. John Michael explains; “Because of the
was what he was thinking about the most and decided to back story there is a credibility, because the foundation is
move his efforts there full time. “We didn’t realize how big doing it, we are a neutral third party in this and it makes it
the vacuum was when we started it. Emily’s story gave us a more accessible.”
voice to start talking about this and it has grown organically.”
On behalf of all of the students in Colorado and beyond
that utilize these protocols, all of us here at Thunder Roads
Colorado offer our heartfelt thanks to Ellen and John Michael
Keyes as well as the other members of the I Love U Guys
Foundation for helping to bring more safety and security into
our schools. We truly felt honored to meet with them and see
their dedication.
John Michael conducts presentations and training both
here in Colorado and elsewhere in the United States and
Canada as well as working on the protocols themselves and
the materials used to present, train and use the protocols.
He is quite involved with all aspects of the foundation from
working with law enforcement to working on the icons that are
used in the protocol materials. While implementations of the
We would also like to thank our readers for their support
protocols can and often do begin with law enforcement, they of the Emily’s Parade in the past and we invite any and all of
can also be initiated by school systems and administrators; you out there to join Thunder Roads Colorado this year at the
because the cost is kept low, it is kept affordable to law 10th annual Emily’s Parade on September 27th, 2015.
enforcement, schools systems and schools.
10th Annual Emily’s Parade
How many schools use the SRP and Standard Unification
September 27th, 2015
Method?
Columbine High School (south parking lot)
Because the programs are free, it is a bit difficult to come
6201 S. Pierce St Littleton, CO 80123
up with accurate numbers but here is what we do know: The
I Love U Guys Foundation protocols have been presented
Motorcycles assemble at the south parking lot at 10:45 am
more than 300 times with 183 of those right here in Colorado. bikes begin to roll out at 11:15
Even though the program is free, they do request people to
Suggested donation is $25 per rider/passenger
notify the foundation if they are using it. Using the notifications
to estimate, the current estimate is between 7500 and 10,000
Patrick and Carrie McCauley
schools in the United States and Canada both public and
private use the protocols to help keep our
children safe and secure. The foundation
is currently working on a certification process
that will soon be offered again, keeping costs
low to the program users as most schools
and schools systems and first responders
typically have limited funding available.
10th ANNUAL EMILY’S PARADE
The protocols work with pre kindergarten
through 12th grade. They are also being
repackaged for adult use with schools like
Texas State University, considering rolling
out the program.
After talking at length with John Michael
and Ellen Keyes we were struck by their
enthusiasm and optimism about the
foundation, what it does and what it offers,
both now and in the future.
They have
worked with police, school administrators
and school insurers, helping to create and roll
out the protocols, starting with a few schools
and school systems in Colorado where the
protocols were created and refined and
www.thunderroadscolorado.com
09.27.2015
Last Sunday in September
Communities united. Columbine to Platte Canyon Bikes out at 11:15 a.m.
www.iloveuguys.org
email: [email protected]
P.O.Box 1230, Bailey, CO 80421
303-426-3100
This is a fundraiser for The “I Love U Guys” Foundation. All funds are responsibly applied toward the stated goals of The Foundation.
September 2015
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 13