Designated Dawgs

Welcome back from Spring Break, Dawgs! We hope you all enjoyed some well-deserved time off. As we get ready for the rest of the semester, we're excited to share all we achieved in February: ?? Designated Dawgs ran 6 nights in February, ensuring over 259 students went home safely. That's over 500 UGA students who've taken a free ride home in 2025! ?? We are thrilled to share we've established the "Designated Dawgs Fund" through the Athens Area Community Foundation ! This fund will help support our operations and allow us to continue a decades-old mission to provide free, safe rides for UGA students. ?? https://lnkd.in/eT3cYd4V ??Our Executive Director and Vice Presidents travelled to Atlanta to meet with WatchDawgs Alumni! Over dinner, our team was able to learn about our organization's history, ongoing mission, and shared responsibilities. Thank you Katy Mallory and Steve Howard for investing in our student leaders! ??Designated Dawgs unveiled our new car toppers this month! With illuminated signs on each van, we hope to further strengthen the safety of our service by making our vehicles easily identifiable to students. ??We were happy to partner with UGA's chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., for more running nights this semester! A huge thank you to their Chapter President, Jason Pineda, for helping us build a lasting relationship with LUL! ??We also encouraged our executive board, volunteers, and others to learn more about each other at our February General Body Meeting! With a game of "Find-A-Friend Bingo," we all found something we have in common. Missed it? Join us at our next GBM on March 31st at 6:30 p.m., MLC 267!

Welcome back, Dawgs! Designated Dawgs kicked off its 24th year of operation this month, and we're excited to share how we celebrated: ?? Despite the freezing temperatures, our volunteers helped us run 6 nights this month. Together, we provided free, safe rides home to more than 250 students! ?? Because of generous donations from UGA parents, we had a replenished stock of snacks, first aid materials, and started providing Hand Warmers at our downtown table! ???? After the snow days delayed our birthday party, we got together to celebrate 24 years of service at our January GBM! Our executive board and volunteers celebrated over two decades of an unwavering commitment to the safety of the UGA student body. Huge thank you to the Pandora Year Book for the photo-ops! ???? University Judiciary invited us to speak at their event, "101 Things to Do in Athens," which promotes campus and community engagement without drugs or alcohol! ?? We also had the pleasure of welcoming four dedicated volunteers to our executive board! Redden Belk, Jada Tucker, Annabelle Sheley, and Jillian Welch, we're so happy to have you on the team!

It's hard to believe another semester has come to a close! While UGA prepares for finals, we're reflecting on the last month and the progress we've made since August: ?? In all, we provided over 919 students with free, safe rides home this semester. Our team has worked diligently to serve more students this fall, and we are happy to share that in-app ridership has increased by over 800% from Fall 2023. ??For almost 24 years, Designated Dawgs volunteers have been at the core of our service. This semester, our team has been dedicated to improving the volunteer experience. Through the launch of our rewards program and regular volunteer spotlights, we're recognizing the hard work they put in each week. Since August, 56 volunteers have joined us to reach a total of 676 service hours. ?? In November, the Designated Dawgs team renewed its commitment to the safety of our riders by completing Basic Life Support training. With this certification, our team is equipped with the skills and confidence to provide CPR and Basic Life Support in possible emergency situations. ?? At our last General Body Meeting, we provided an open study space with snacks and brain-break goodies! We're wishing all of our riders and volunteers good luck with finals!

Happy Halloween! We're happy to say October has been all treat - here's a look at what we've been up to: ?? We gave over 324 people rides home this month- bringing us to a total of more than 768 riders across 17 nights! ?? Celebrated Homecoming with RISE UGA, and brought the DD vans through the parade! ?? We proudly sponsored Sigma Delta Tau Greek Grind, the largest philanthropic event at UGA. With all 20 Panhellenic Sororities participating, we were able to promote our mission to a crucial audience. This year, the event raised a total of $122,788.81 for Prevent Child Abuse America. ??Volunteers from Delta Phi Epsilon helped us surprise our 500th rider and their friends with Designated Dawgs goodies! ?? Our Executive Board also got some well-deserved rest and relaxation at our Fall Retreat! ?? Continued our commitment to building the Designated Dawgs community at our second General Body Meeting! These monthly events provide another chance to connect with the student body - this time over Boba and Halloween Trivia. ?? Steve Howard, a founding member from our days as WatchDawgs, paid us a visit to share some history. Over dinner, our team got to connect over the same mission, challenges, and joys that come with the job. Almost 24 years after our first ride, we are honored to keep providing free, safe rides to UGA students. Thank you, Steve!

Time flies when you're having fun, and another month has flown by! Here's a look at what Designated Dawgs did this September: ?? Since August, we've provided rides to over 444 students! With our expanded operating hours, we're making sure more people get home safely each night. ?? Alongside UGA's Lambda Upsilon Lambda and Sigma Lambda Upsilon chapters, we hosted our first event of the semester! Through a game of Jeopardy, we were able to discuss safe drinking habits, the impacts of alcohol on the body, DUI incidents, and more! ?? Partnered with LUL and Delta Tau Delta for two operating nights! ?? Hosted our first General Body Meeting, giving students a chance to meet us on campus and learn about our mission. ?? Working with UGA's Transportation & Parking Services and Tate Student Center to streamline operations! ?? Designated Dawgs volunteers also joined Exec at Dawg Day of Service, the largest day of service at UGA! Together with other student groups, we worked with Keep Oconee County Beautiful to pick up trash!

And just like that, the first month of the semester is over! Here’s what Designated Dawgs accomplished in August: ?? Provided free rides home to over 175 people, across four nights! ?? Implemented a Volunteer Rewards Program to thank our volunteers for their dedicated support! ?? Attended the Fall Engagement Fair, advertising our service to thousands of students. ?? Unveiled a new tabling set-up outside of Sandbar on College Avenue, thanks to donations from UGA Parents! … and we’re just getting started! Stay tuned on all of our socials, and catch your free ride home any Thursday and Friday this month!

With less than two weeks until the start of a new semester, Designated Dawgs is getting ready for another year of providing free, safe rides home for our student body. We couldn’t be more eager to get back to campus and keep fulfilling our mission of creating a safer Athens and a safer UGA! As we welcome in new leadership, Designated Dawgs is committed to building upon decades of service to our community. We have a lot of exciting things planned for our future, and this team is dedicated to making Designated Dawgs the best it can be! Thank you for the opportunity to serve your friends, families, and fellow students. See you soon!