$5,000 PRIZE! Ford DSFL & KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

$5,000 PRIZE! Belt it OUT! Ford DSFL & KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®
Wants You to Sing for Safety

Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) has been a long-time supporter of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Now they are offering musically-inclined teens in your community the opportunity to create a song about traffic safety that could lead to a $5,000 prize. You can even incorporate one or more of our Keep KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® slogans into your song – Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®, Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space© .

The contest is entitled "Belt it OUT!" It is a national competition for an original safe driving song. Students must write, compose, and perform the song. Students may compete individually, or in teams of up to five (5) members. Students must be ages 15-19 and not be professional paid performers.

Students can win up to $5,000 for their submissions. The public will be invited to choose the top five finalists on the DSFL website from March 16-31st 2010, and then Kate Voegele (www.katevoegele.com/) will pick the winners.
You can find more about the competition at this link: Belt It Out! DSFL Song Contest
If you choose to incorporate our KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® slogans into your song, please e-mail us to let us know. We want to give appropriate permissions as well as to announce support for your song.

From the e-mail box:

• Oh Deer! Steer Clear!
• Most Auto Deaths from Single-car Crashes
• From a resident of Des Plaines, IL – “I was driving down Dempster/Thacker and saw the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 signs. What a great idea! Meant to tell the police that I thought it was a super idea. I drive down that street all the time on the way to the library and forget the speed limits, great to have reminders. Someone deserves a pat on the back.” Read the press release from the Des Plaines Police Dept. at Police Launch KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 Campaign.

Thank you for supporting KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

Thanks to all who supported KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® through America's Giving Challenge. We raised over $1,500 and finished in the top 200 out of over 7,500 charities registered for the Challenge. We also have registered over 2,100 supporters of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 on our Facebook Cause Page. You can sign on today at our Facebook Cause Page.

However, the real challenge remains - to demonstrate behavior behind the wheel each day that keeps us and others safe. You are invited to find out how to make a real difference in your community - check out the information on our web site at Campaign Start-up Information-Click Here.

You can also make a donation through our site to help to make our mission real for all who care about creating safe roadways in our neighborhoods, and beyond, and for all who care about families who have experienced the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident. Click on our DONATE link. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

In safety,
Tom Everson

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3) 402-334-1391 kkad25@kkad25.org www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Speeding Triples the Odds of Crashing - Keep Kids Alive!

“Speeding triples the odds of crashing.” (AAA Foundation on Traffic Safety)

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® Weekly Speed-Reader

Did You Know?

“The biggest factors in fatal crashes are alcohol impairment and speeding. So to the extent that communities do a good job of reducing alcohol impairment and speeding, that should show up in fatal crash rates." (Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - See Motor Vehicle Deaths-America's Safest Cities).

Speeding is the #1 focus of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your community can lead the way in addressing this behavior. Contact kkad25@kka25.org to learn how you can engage your community in creating safer environments on all roadways. Resources to start your campaign can be downloaded at KKAD25 Campaign Start-Up. It’s never too early to get started.

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 and Road Safety in the News

• Remembering Melissa Tindell
• Shorewood Campaign Aims for Safer Drivers
• Drivers Distracted When Near Schools – Integrate KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® in to your local Safe Routes to Schools initiatives. Find out how - e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org. Find your State Safe Routes contact at State SRTS Contacts.
• From the Foxboro, MA Community Calendar - Holiday Craft Fair. Proceeds to benefit Keep Kids Alive – Foxboro, Foxboro’s traffic safety campaign. Let us know about your fundraisers as well – kkad25@kkad25.org.

Help KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 Make the Top 100
(Out of over 7,000 Non-Profits Registered)

Only 24 hours left to support Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge. Donate $10.00, or more, today at Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge to support our mission. Invite family, friends, and colleagues to do the same. Challenge ends November 6th, so log on today at Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge.

Thanks! Your generous giving keeps kids living.

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’ be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

In safety,
Tom Everson
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
kkad25@kkad25.org
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Remember Kyle - Keep Kids Alive on Halloween!

Dear Friends in Safety,

This week our “Speed-Reader” is dedicated to the life of Kyle Foster, a 10 year-old who died as a result of being hit by a neighbor while crossing the street on Halloween night in 2003. Please remember to “Be Aware! Drive With Care®” on each and every roadway this October 31st -one pf the most dangerous nights for children when it comes to traffic incidents.

Kyle Foster, Mesquite, Texas
Our actions behind the wheel can make all the difference – both for those around us and for ourselves as well. No one wants to be the person who hits another person. Let’s make sure our driving behaviors insure the safety of all we encounter on the road.

Helpful links as Halloween approaches include:

• Radio Interview with Tom Everson, Founder of KKAD25 –Scroll and click on audio for October 20th


• KKAD25 Parenting Tips


• Good News from Illinois - Des Plaines Police Launch KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 Campaign

Our friend Sal from Pleasanton, California share this timely reminder as he prepares for Halloween this year.

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® Reflective Stickers

With Halloween in mind, we have a limited supply of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® reflective stickers (2” X 3”) that can be used to help make children more visible while trick-or-treating. For every $25.00 donation through Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge or through our web site at KKAD25 Donate, you will receive 25 reflective stickers. To receive by October 31st, please donate by Tuesday, October 27th. These stickers can also be attached to backpacks, bike helmets, bikes, and jackets to help make kids more visible throughout the year.

America’s Giving Challenge Update:

The Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge continues until November 6th. Currently KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® is listed in 131st place out of over 5,500 participating non-profits. You have donated over $1,100 so far.

We would love to finish in the top 100 organizations for number of donors by the time the Challenge ends. Please consider a gift of $10.00 to help us to reach our goal and to keep our mission moving forward. Log on today at Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge. Remember, it is the number of donors who support our mission that makes the biggest difference! Please invite family, friends, and business colleagues to join in as well.

Thanks to all who are supporting the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

In safety,
Tom Everson - KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)402-334-1391 kkad25@kkad25.org

http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/

Keep Kids Alive - In the News, Teen Driving, Free Signs!

Dear Friends in Safety,

A couple of quick, yet timely, notes to start the week. These include:

• KKAD25 In the Media
• National Teen Driver Safety Week
• FREE SIGNS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY!

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® in the Media. Click underlined links to log on.

• Tuesday, October 20th, KROC, 660 AM in Omaha will air an interview with Tom Everson, Founder of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® at Noon Central Time. You can log-on to listen at KCRO.
• New ‘Keep Kids Alive” Zone in Wildwood - Wildwood, Missouri is one of two communities in the U.S. (Hazelwood, Missouri being the other) that have established “KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25” zones on neighborhood streets. Contact kkad25@kkad25.org to find out how your city can join them.

National Teen Driver Safety Week – October 18th – 24th

This week is "National Teen Driver Safety Week." Coinciding with this we received news from students in the Criminal Justice and Law program at Colts Neck High School in New Jersey that they will take on their 2nd “Keep Kids Alive 5K – Run Faster, Drive Slower” fund/awareness raising event to continue to support growth of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® in Monmouth County. Check out Keep Kids Alive 5K E-mail us at kkad25@kkad25.org to find out how your high school can make a difference that impacts your entire community.
Find more ideas for "National Teen Driver Safety Week,” at:

• Drive To Life – A collaboration with the National Organization for Youth Safety (http://www.noys.org/)
• CREATE A SAFE-DRIVING CULTURE IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL(S) (Click here to learn how)
• Ford Motor Company’s Driving Skills for Life
• Teen Driver Safety-Governors Highway Safety Association
• Safer Teen Driving
• GEICO Auto Safety Library
• Ride Like A Friend

FREE SIGNS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY!

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge Update

Thanks to all who contributed to our cause for Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge. You have donated over $1,000 thus far.

Let’s keep the momentum going as the Challenge lasts until November 6th. Here’s a way you can support the mission, and help your community at the same time.
We will support you in getting the KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®message out in your community. Here’s how.

• The community with the greatest number of donors by November 6th will receive 25 complimentary KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® yard signs to distribute to residents. Signs will be sent to the coordinating agency in your community. Please e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org to register your community. You must register to be eligible.
• A personal option is also available. The individual who can attract the most donors by November 6th will receive 10 yard signs to share with neighbors. Again, please e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org to register.

Send out a daily challenge to your friends and relatives to see how many donations they make to support our mission. Remember, it is the number of donors that make the difference in this challenge, not the amount they donate.

Log on at Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge to donate today. $10.00 can turn into $1,000.00 to support our mission by helping us win one day of the challenge. Let’s make that day today!

Thanks! Your generous giving keeps kids living.

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

In safety,
Tom Everson

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)

402-334-1391

kkad25@kkad25.org

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is in America's Giving Challenge—Let's win $50,000!

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is in America's Giving Challenge—Let's win $50,000!

Hi everyone,

Our cause, Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, just entered America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000 to support our mission.

Please donate today: Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge.
Your generous giving keeps kids living!

To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period. The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in our cause. We all need to come together and start promoting the cause if we want to win.

Each of us has tons of friends on Facebook who we can ask to donate to our cause. But let's think big too—can you put our cause in your email signature, can you throw a party and get people to donate through the cause when they enter, can you organize other people to go out and fundraise from all of their friends? As you reach out to your friends be sure to tell them why this cause matters to you. The possibilities are endless so let's talk about what we can do to win on the Wall of the cause or by replying to this bulletin.

I believe we can do it! But it's going to take all of us. Check out the Giving Challenge (www.causes.com), then visit our cause at Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge to see how we're doing so far and get involved. Donate right now by going to Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - America's Giving Challenge. Let's win $50,000 for Keep Kids Alive Drive 25!

Thanks! And remember, your generous giving keeps kids living.

In safety,
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3) www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Cultivate Courtesy, Please - Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Road Safety,

I came across this timely reminder in a recent edition of the Omaha World Herald -Cultivate Courtesy on Harvest Roads. This article reminds us not only to be courteous on country and farm roads, but also to be thankful for the work of all farmers whose efforts bring food to our tables each day.

Let’s extend the courtesy. Cultivating Courtesy on all roadways goes a long way toward protecting ourselves and everyone around us. When we practice courtesy on our neighborhood streets, we help create a more pleasant (and safer) environment in which to ride, as well as for people to walk and bike. As fall unfolds, may we each take time to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us and the people who care for us, as we navigate the highways and by-ways of America – and beyond. Let's start today!

Quick Links to Vital Information:

• Check out distracted driving resources from the Governors Highway Safety Association at Cell Phones & Distracted Driving
• Integrate Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 messages into your PSAs. See New Drive to Life -PSAs for National Youth Traffic Safety Month
• Thanks to Bud Chauncy of DSAA for forwarding a sobering video clip – see 1959 Chevy Bel Air vs. the Modern Automobile. And remember, the most important safety device in any motor vehicle is you, the driver.

It is always a good time to donate to support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25. We continue to need your financial support. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living!

And remember,

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’ be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

In safety,
Tom Everson - KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)402-334-1391

kkad25@kkad25.org

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® and related logos and slogans (Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Stop Means Stop®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space©) are registered trademarks/copyrights of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, P.O. Box 45563 Omaha, Nebraska, 68145. No other entities may use these or similar marks without prior permission. Call 402-334-1391 for information.

Community Commitment to Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Safety,

Midweek, October 7th, is International Walk to School Day, a time to promote and celebrate the benefits of walking and biking to and from school (something that was a regular occurrence in 1960’s, but has fallen off to about 16% of students in recent years).

In addition, this week, October 5-9, is National “Drive Safely to Work Week” sponsored by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) in partnership with EcoDrivingUSA.

These two events falling in the same week remind us that safe driving contributes not only to workplace safety and the safety of employees driving to and from work, but also helps to create safer environments for children to walk and bike to and from school.

Traffic safety is indeed a community effort. Our behaviors behind the wheel affect our own safety, the safety of passengers, and the safety of all who walk, ride, or play in environments surrounding roadways. This week is a great time for schools and businesses to join together in developing intentional plans to engage and educate citizens of all ages to create safer roadway environments for the benefit of us all. In short, make Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® the business of your business, school, and neighborhood, and whole community as you promote safe driving among employees both on and off the job and for all who walk and ride. Take your first step by integrating one or more of our initiatives into your efforts.

• Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® - Promotes observing the speed limit on residential roadways (and oftentimes school zones), and going slower due to the presence of pedestrians, cyclists, and children at play. What happens in neighborhoods and school zones makes a difference in the workplace – whether it is an employee driving to or from work or driving a company vehicle in a neighborhood.
• Stop! Take 3 To See® - Promotes the correct way to obey a Stop Sign, how to cross the street correctly, and can be used at unsignalled railroad crossings. See STOP! TAKE 3 TO SEE Flyer.
• Seat Belts-FASTENATING!® - Promotes seat belt use by drivers and passengers. It’s about people, not a ticket. For more information visit Seat Belts-FASTENATING!
• It’s Not A Race! Create Space© - Targets tailgating and safe space management between vehicles. Visit It’s Not A Race! Create Space
• Be Aware! Drive With Care® - Promotes awareness of safe driving practices on all roadways.
• Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed® - Promotes observance of the speed limit on all roadways.

Visit KKAD25 Start-up or contact kkad25@kkad25.org/402-334-1391 to make a difference today and everyday. It’s good for your business, it’s good for your neighborhood, it’s good for your school, and it’s good for your community.

Thanks to all who have responded by donating to support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. We continue to need your financial support. Donate to support the mission of at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living!

And remember,

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’ be the last two minutes of someone’s life.” David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).

Tom Everson - KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3) 402-334-1391 kkad25@kkad25.org www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® and related logos and slogans (Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Stop Means Stop®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space©) are registered trademarks/copyrights of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, P.O. Box 45563 Omaha, Nebraska, 68145. No other entities may use these or similar marks without prior permission. Call 402-334-1391 for information.