WHO WE ARE

Our Beginning
St Johns County Safety Town was launched in 2021 by three Ponte Vedra Beach friends:
Michaele Harried, Michelle Purdy, and Shanna Smith along with two daughters: Marissa Harried
and Madison Purdy. The idea of establishing this non-profit organization had been in the works
for a while. Michaele’s son participated in a Safety Town in 2008 and his safety-conscious
approach to life is something that stuck with the whole family. When Michaele moved to Ponte Vedra Beach the camp was not available for her daughter. Safety Town had a significant impact on the well being of her son and the fact that there was not a Safety Town in our community for our
youngest youth is something she and her daughter wanted to change.

The founders of St Johns County Safety Town talked about wanting to give back to the community and to make a difference in the lives of children. The time was right. Each member has a heart for children and decided the best way to serve the families in the community is to equip our youth to be safe right where they live.

Our Mission
St Johns County Safety Town is a 501c(3) non-profit organization committed to serving the
youth in our community.We teach safety skills to kindergartners, provide leadership opportunities for high schoolers through our Team Leader positions and our Youth Leadership Council and we enable youth and our first responders to engage and build relationships through a partnership with our Sheriff's Office.

Tradition

While Safety Town is new to our area, Safety Town was established in the 1960s and there are
thousands of Safety Towns across the United States. We are thrilled to introduce Safety Town to
St. Johns County.