Every 15 Minutes Lompoc Valley

04/03/2026

This week we finished another Every 15 Minutes program.

This year we were are at Lompoc High School.

This program takes 6 months to plan by a dedicated group of volunteers, community supporters, public agencies, and school district staff.

There are five elements to this program. The students play the Living Dead. This means that Every 15 Minutes throughout the day a student is pulled from class and an obituary is read to their classmates. They are then re-entered wearing a black E15M shirt and their face painted white to represent someone who has passed. They are not to engage with anyone the rest of the day.
The parents get notified of their children's death by uniformed officers and chaplains. The officers go to their house, knock on their door and ask to come inside to discuss the events that led up to their death. This is pre-planned and they all know it is coming however the event is played out as real.
There is a mock crash scene that entails a DUI driver, two fatalities, and an individual who becomes paralyzed from their injuries. Each of them are then taken to jail, hospital, or the mortuary. Their parents are asked to respond to each of those locations.
There is an overnight retreat where the students hear guest speakers discuss their drinking and driving related experiences.

On the following day a funeral is held with the victims and families of the two involved in the crash the day before as guest speakers.

This event is meant to be impactful. From day one we tell the parents and students we want this to feel as real as possible, without really losing someone. We talk about a ripple effect that this program has on the community. The people it will affect the most are the ones that were involved with this program. However, by sharing their experiences and others watching the video and seeing the pictures we hope it impacts the whole community in an effort to save lives.

We want to thank everyone involved for making this program successful. Especially the 31 students who stepped out of their comfort zone to do their part in helping save a life. Thank you to the community of Lompoc for always supporting this program. TOGETHER WE MAKE IT BETTER!

If you would like to support our program through monetary or in kind donations please contact the event coordinator, Dave Baker at 805-448-3048 or email [email protected] for more information.

Thank you!

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Overnight edit of the Every 15 Minutes program held at Lompoc High School in Lompoc, CA on March 31 and April 1, 2026. The Every 15 Minutes Program is a two...

04/04/2025

Last August I met with Cabrillo High School staff and set the date to host this event for this week. In October we recruited the students to participate. In November/December we recruited the parents. We have had meeting after meeting after meeting preparing for this day.
This week , with the help of many different law enforcement agencies like California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lompoc Pd, VSFB Security Forces, Fire departments like Santa Barbara County Fire, Lompoc Fire and Vandenberg Fire, , Lompoc hospital , Starbuck- Lind mortuary , Smitty's tow truck, Vandenberg village Lions Club , Sunrise Organic farms, Lompoc unified School district, Marriott Hotel in Buellton, SBCO R**e Crisis Center , and the countless hours our volunteers put in!
Special thank you to every student and parent for participating in the Every 15 Minutes Lompoc Valley event.

04/03/2025

We talk about the ripple affect............. Did that ripple reach you?????

04/02/2025

Lives will be saved today!

May not know when, may not know how, but the students of Cabrillo High School will be doing their part to bring awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving!
Expect to see increased law enforcement, fire, ambulances, helicopters , volunteers and counselors at Cabrillo High in Lompoc today!

12/03/2024

FYI, Barbara Carter Celebration of Life is this Saturday.

11/14/2024

The Lompoc Valley Every 15 Minutes family is heartbroken with the passing of CORE Committee member Barbara Carter. E15M Alumni will remember her as the person that checked you in at each meeting and the morning of the event. She was the one that would provide the "very detailed" directions on how to care for your tombstones and she was in charge of the Maintenance, installation and breakdown of our school cemetery.
Barbara has been part of our team for 20 years and is directly responsible for saving many young lives through her dedication to this program.
Her shoes will never be filled and her memory will never be forgotten.
We love you Barbara!