Make a Difference… Become A Crossing Guard For The VSO!

This week I want to tell you that we need active, available folks to become school crossing guards to help keep our children and grandchildren safe on the way to and from school each day.

If you’re like me, your children or grandchildren are very important, and getting them safely to school is a priority. Serving as a crossing guard for the Volusia Sheriff’s Office is rewarding because you get to be outside, meet children and their parents, and make a difference in people’s lives.

It’s a great way to stay active in mind, body, and spirit.

It’s also the perfect retirement job – you work an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon and earn a little extra money. That’s it! In between, you have the day to yourself.
School crossing guards are assigned to schools in these five VSO districts:

• District 2: DeLand;
• District 3 North: Daytona Beach,
  Holly Hill, Ormond Beach;
• District 3 South: South Daytona,
  Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach;
• District 4: Deltona;
• District 6: DeBary and
  Orange City.

We need more guards to provide enough coverage.

We’re especially looking for guards to fill positions on the east side of Volusia County—Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, and New Smyrna Beach.

Here are some stories from three of our crossing guards:

Janaina Warner is in her second year working for the Volusia Sheriff’s Office as a crossing guard at Orange City Elementary School. She said, “I like the fact that I get to be part of the team that keeps kids safe. Parents are at ease because their kids are being crossed by the crossing guard.”

She has an eye for details—like noticing a child’s shoelace is untied, so she helps pedestrians to be ready before crossing the street. Ready means searching for danger—“look left, right, left”—before crossing.

Malcolm Henry is a school crossing guard who’s been with us since 2014. He serves with another guard at Indian River Elementary in Edgewater along busy 30th Street, guiding kids and adults safely to and from school.

Malcolm said he likes seeing the kids. “The job is very rewarding. You want to do it because you love children.”

The Queen of crossing guards is Ingrid Huie. She’s been a guard for our office for 33 years! She started in December 1989. God love her: For 18 years she worked at then Ortona Elementary School on beachside in Daytona Beach. Since then, Ingrid has served near Holly Hill K-8 School as a crossing guard. Five days a week. Rain or shine.

This woman is one of a kind. She prides herself on telling kids not to look at their cell phone when crossing the roadway. “I tell them, ‘this is when most accidents happen.’ I tell the grownups too!”

Ingrid, who’s in her late 80s, said she may keep working as a crossing guard until she turns 90: “As long as I can still move my arms, why not?”

To Apply: You can help us help our community by joining our staff as crossing guards. If you’re interested, please apply online at volusiasheriff.gov/careers

Thank you and
let’s all stay safe,
Sheriff Mike Chitwood