Giving Tuesday is December 1. Help put Participant Tool Kits in the hands of families across Michigan.

Michigan 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

Special Needs Autism Vulnerable Person Elderly Safety

Connecting people with autism, dementia, brain injuries, and other special needs with the first responders who serve them, all across Michigan.

How to Enroll Partner With Us

Safety.
Awareness.
Education.

Everyone deserves to feel safe during moments of crisis or confusion. We build better communication between first responders, the community, and people living with cognitive or developmental challenges such as autism, dementia, or traumatic brain injuries.

Whether it's a lost child with autism or an older adult in the early stages of Alzheimer's, our goal is for first responders to have the information they need before an encounter, so every interaction is safer and calmer.

S.A.V.E.S Project founder Brenna Hogue, a police officer, kneeling to talk with a young boy sitting on a bench

Who We Help

We support people with autism and other special needs and those living with dementia, and we equip the first responders and communities around them with the knowledge to respond with compassion.

Help a Participant

Found someone with a S.A.V.E.S Project ID? Enter their participant number, or their first name, last name and birthday, to check the database for who to call. Only emergency contacts and the city they live in are shown.

In an emergency, always call 911 first.

Look for This Tag. Participants carry it on an ID card, lanyard tag, or sticker. Scan the code with a phone camera, or type the participant number into the lookup.

How the S.A.V.E.S Project Works

Families tell us what a responder needs to know before an emergency happens. When one does, that information is just a participant number away. Taking part is always free.

A smiling woman drawing with crayons beside a young boy

1
Get Enrolled
A partner organization or agency, or a S.A.V.E.S Project representative, registers the participant with the family.
2
Receive the Tool Kit
The Participant Tool Kit arrives with an ID card, lanyard tag, weather-resistant QR stickers, a Blue Envelope, and a vehicle window decal.
3
Responders Are Trained
Partner departments learn de-escalation and communication strategies in person and online.
4
Help Arrives Informed
A responder enters the participant number and sees medical needs, stressors, calming strategies, and who to call.

One Statewide Database, Four Apps

Available now, and coming soon to the App Store and Google Play as “Saves Project.” Everyone signs in with their own account and works from the same up-to-date participant information.

The S.A.V.E.S Project app sign-in screen on a phone

For Participants and Families

S.A.V.E.S
CONNECT

Keep the profile up to date
Suggest important map locations
Choose which school or facility can see the profile

For First Responders

S.A.V.E.S
RESPONDER

Look up a participant number
Log a contact
Send a missing person alert to nearby agencies

For Schools

S.A.V.E.S
EDUCATOR

See enrolled students at your school
Report a student who left campus
Keep safety plans and incident notes

For Care Facilities

S.A.V.E.S
FACILITY

Register residents
Keep resident profiles current
Report a resident missing

A S.A.V.E.S Project officer smiling with a student driver and holding a Blue Envelope

The People Behind the S.A.V.E.S Project

Our mission is to uphold the dignity of every person we serve. Our team includes police officers, firefighters, EMS, court officials, doctors, educators, and self-advocates, and we keep improving our tools, training, and technology to meet the real needs of our communities.

Meet Our Team

A thermal drone view highlighting a person walking on a wooded trail

Coming Soon

Detect and Locate

The next parts of S.A.V.E.S Project ID help find a participant who has wandered. Detect comes first, using drones with thermal cameras. Locate follows, using GPS technology.