Dear Friends in Safety,
Justice is the very least we can do to make things work in our world. Every just law is designed to benefit people - real people, including ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and all those we have not yet met.
It is easy to apply justice in living out motor vehicle laws. We simply need to obey speed limits, observe traffic signals and signs - for example, stop at each and every stop sign to look left, right, then left again to make sure the coast really is clear. We can also buckle up everyone, every trip, every time, observe safe following distance, not text or talk on cell phones, use our turn/lane-chage signals, and not drink and drive. Each and every law surrounding these driving behaviors simply calls us to do the very least we can do to keep ourselves and others safe. Again, it's all about people.
May we each do our part to put the law into practice by doing the very least we can do in bringing justice to every roadway on which we drive. The life saved may be our own, as well as that of someone else deeply loved and cherished by a family and friends, just as we each are.
And remember,
“Don’t Let the 2 Minutes You ‘Save’Be the Last 2 Minutes of Someone’s Life.” Adapted from David Townsend (Tia’s father)
In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)kkad25@kkad25.org
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
P.S. - Take time to make your tax-deductible donation to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 at KKAD25 Donate. Thanks!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Roaring 20's - Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® Charity Ride
Dear Friends in Safety,
Special thanks goes out to the Doug Geyer State Farm Agency (and every one of their employees) in Omaha, Nebraska for their sponsorship of the first ever "Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® Charity Ride."
Just over 20 participants (Our version of the "Roaring Twenties") revved up their motorcycles along with one classic Corvette Stingray to trek from Dillon Motor Sports in West Omaha, through Gretna, LaVista, Papillion, and Bellevue, before arriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Along the way they participated in all kinds of "point-producing" activities that included "Ladder Golf" (Thanks to Inter-tech Collision Service in Gretna), "Virtual Golf" (Thanks to Beyond Golf in LaVista), darts and washers, along with a great lunch courtesy of Shadow Lake Collision Center in Papillion, bowling (thanks to Leopard Lanes in Bellevue), finally arriving at Full Throttle Motor Sports in Council Bluffs. Riders/drivers raised $700.00 to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®. The winner of the grand prize for the day, Keith Schroeder, even donated his $250.00 award back to KKAD25 as an extra generous show of support.
We especially remembered James Davis, a motorcycle-rider from Minnesota who died as a result of being hit by a vehicle following too close behind him in August 2008. We initiated and dedicated our "It’s Not A Race! Create Space©" initiative in James' memory. Learn more at It’s Not A Race! Create Space©.
Riders agreed that the KKAD25 Charity Ride should be a yearly event. Thus, plans are already underway for next year. If you'd like to hold an event in your town, please contact us for details on how to do so. You'll be glad you did.
Happy, and safe, motoring.
In safety,
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
Visit The Network for Good "$5.00 to Keep Kids Alive!" Goal - 1,000 New Donors
Special thanks goes out to the Doug Geyer State Farm Agency (and every one of their employees) in Omaha, Nebraska for their sponsorship of the first ever "Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® Charity Ride."
Just over 20 participants (Our version of the "Roaring Twenties") revved up their motorcycles along with one classic Corvette Stingray to trek from Dillon Motor Sports in West Omaha, through Gretna, LaVista, Papillion, and Bellevue, before arriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Along the way they participated in all kinds of "point-producing" activities that included "Ladder Golf" (Thanks to Inter-tech Collision Service in Gretna), "Virtual Golf" (Thanks to Beyond Golf in LaVista), darts and washers, along with a great lunch courtesy of Shadow Lake Collision Center in Papillion, bowling (thanks to Leopard Lanes in Bellevue), finally arriving at Full Throttle Motor Sports in Council Bluffs. Riders/drivers raised $700.00 to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®. The winner of the grand prize for the day, Keith Schroeder, even donated his $250.00 award back to KKAD25 as an extra generous show of support.
We especially remembered James Davis, a motorcycle-rider from Minnesota who died as a result of being hit by a vehicle following too close behind him in August 2008. We initiated and dedicated our "It’s Not A Race! Create Space©" initiative in James' memory. Learn more at It’s Not A Race! Create Space©.
Riders agreed that the KKAD25 Charity Ride should be a yearly event. Thus, plans are already underway for next year. If you'd like to hold an event in your town, please contact us for details on how to do so. You'll be glad you did.
Happy, and safe, motoring.
In safety,
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
Visit The Network for Good "$5.00 to Keep Kids Alive!" Goal - 1,000 New Donors
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Power of One to Keep Kids Alive
Recently I came across an essay by Margaret Silf in which she shares the following story.
A commuter who uses a toll road daily witnessed a phenomenon at the toll booths. Every morning there would be very short lines at five of the six toll booths, and a very long line at the sixth. Why would anyone join a long line, he wondered, when five much shorter lines were available? The answer was the man inside that sixth toll booth. Without fail, he had a friendly, personal greeting for everyone who passed by his booth. "How are doing today?" "How's the family?" Such was the power of this "one" that harassed drivers would line up, adding minutes to their commute, simply to be refreshed by this man's friendly words and authentic kindness.
We can emulate the friendliness and kindness of this lone toll booth attendant each and every time we get behind the wheel. How? Simply by observing the speed limits, and going slower as necessary, stopping at stop signs, observing all other signs and signals, practicing good space management between ourselves and other vehicles, putting our cell phone away, and making sure everyone is buckled up each and every trip. These basic courtesies and rules of the road may not garner as much attention as that toll booth attendant, but each and every considerate action we practice makes a difference that could save a life today.
If you'd like to build on these courtesies to get your neighborhood or whole community behind safe driving practices, then consider being a lead agent to bring a Keep Kids Alive initiative to your area. Log-on at www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org for information on how to do so.
May we all realize the "power of one" we each possess whenever we drive. May we always use this power wisely through the kindness we show on each and every roadway.
Happy, and safe, motoring.
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org
A commuter who uses a toll road daily witnessed a phenomenon at the toll booths. Every morning there would be very short lines at five of the six toll booths, and a very long line at the sixth. Why would anyone join a long line, he wondered, when five much shorter lines were available? The answer was the man inside that sixth toll booth. Without fail, he had a friendly, personal greeting for everyone who passed by his booth. "How are doing today?" "How's the family?" Such was the power of this "one" that harassed drivers would line up, adding minutes to their commute, simply to be refreshed by this man's friendly words and authentic kindness.
We can emulate the friendliness and kindness of this lone toll booth attendant each and every time we get behind the wheel. How? Simply by observing the speed limits, and going slower as necessary, stopping at stop signs, observing all other signs and signals, practicing good space management between ourselves and other vehicles, putting our cell phone away, and making sure everyone is buckled up each and every trip. These basic courtesies and rules of the road may not garner as much attention as that toll booth attendant, but each and every considerate action we practice makes a difference that could save a life today.
If you'd like to build on these courtesies to get your neighborhood or whole community behind safe driving practices, then consider being a lead agent to bring a Keep Kids Alive initiative to your area. Log-on at www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org for information on how to do so.
May we all realize the "power of one" we each possess whenever we drive. May we always use this power wisely through the kindness we show on each and every roadway.
Happy, and safe, motoring.
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org
Monday, July 20, 2009
One Small Step. Can We Make the Leap to Keep Kids Alive?
Dear Friends in Safety,
Today is the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Landing on the moon was thought to be near impossible, even by lead agents for NASA, the day John F. Kennedy announced that by the end of the decade of the 60's that we would send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth. An lo' and behold, it happened.
The mission to the moon demonstrates the very best of what it means to be human - to dream, to create - to do all that is necessary to accomplish a goal that appears totally out of reach.
What if we committed to such a lofty goal when it comes to our driving behavior each and every day? What if we began with the goal of one day in America (and in the world) when not one person died as a result of a traffic-related incident? What if we stretched that goal to one week, to one month, to one year?
Does this goal seem impossible? If not, then we are ready to begin with the practical, and often controllable, steps that we each can take in order to reach any of these goals. And what are these steps?
Today is the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Landing on the moon was thought to be near impossible, even by lead agents for NASA, the day John F. Kennedy announced that by the end of the decade of the 60's that we would send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth. An lo' and behold, it happened.
The mission to the moon demonstrates the very best of what it means to be human - to dream, to create - to do all that is necessary to accomplish a goal that appears totally out of reach.
What if we committed to such a lofty goal when it comes to our driving behavior each and every day? What if we began with the goal of one day in America (and in the world) when not one person died as a result of a traffic-related incident? What if we stretched that goal to one week, to one month, to one year?
Does this goal seem impossible? If not, then we are ready to begin with the practical, and often controllable, steps that we each can take in order to reach any of these goals. And what are these steps?
- Be sure that the area around our vehicle is completely free of the presence of children (or anyone for that matter) before we back out of the driveway, a parking spot, or away from the curb. Take a walk around the vehicle just to make sure.
- Buckle up everyone, including ourselves, every trip, every time, no matter how short the distance. Remember, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®. The only questions we need to ask and answer to give us a reason to buckle up are:
1. Who do you love?
2. Who loves you?
It is the people we care for, and who care for us, that give us every reason to keep ourselves safe by buckling up. It's not about a ticket. It's about people.
- Observe the speed limit on each and every roadway, and go slower according to presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists, as well as in deference to weather conditions.
- It’s Not A Race! Create Space©. Practice great space management. Follow the three second rule when it comes to following distance (Observe a fixed object ahead - light pole, bridge, etc. Note when the vehicle ahead of you passes the object. Then count one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. If you pass the object before three seconds have passed, increase your spacing.) Also, be aware of spacing with vehicles behind you and around you. Creating space helps to keep you, your passengers, and others on the road safer.
- Stop! Take 3 To See® at each and every Stop Sign. Come to a complete stop. Look left, look right, look left again. Be sure that the roadway is completely free of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles before proceeding. This is true weather you proceed straight ahead or are turning. It only takes a few seconds and can save a life, as well as a lifetime of heartache.
- Observe all traffic signals and signs. Remember, amber is not a signal to start a drag race. It is reason to slow to a complete stop. This keeps you and your passengers safe along with others on the road.
When it comes to safe driving, and eliminating roadway deaths and injuries, it's not rocket science, as it was for the Apollo Space Program. It is actually more complicated than that because if involves human decision-making every single trip. Let's all take on a challenge that benefits ourselves and everyone we will ever know (and even all those we never meet). Let's Be Aware! Drive With Care®.
“Don’t Let the 2 Minutes You ‘Save’
Be the Last 2 Minutes of Someone’s Life.”
Adapted from David Townsend (Tia’s father)
In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director/Founder - Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org
kkad25@kkad25.org
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Is Personal Freedom Real Freedom? - Keeping Ourselves Alive
Dear Friends in Safety,
We often hear about "personal freedom." Sometimes this appears to be shorthand for the right to act however we would like whenever we would like wherever we would like.
When it comes to driving/riding behaviors this can translate into not buckling up, not wearing a helmet, excessive speed, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals - and the list goes on and on. The question that begs to be asked is, "Is personal freedom real freedom?"
To answer this question I fall back on my favorite definition of freedom; that is, "True freedom is the ability to love/care in all situations." What this means is that freedom is not all about me. It is also about how my actions affect the people I care for and the people who care about me.
Relate this definition of freedom to motor vehicle safety. If we take our relationships with others seriously, it implies that we will do whatever is in our power to act in a way to keep ourselves safe so as not to put loved ones in a situation where they are left blindsided by a tragedy. This means buckling up every trip every time. It means wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bike. It means observing the speed limit or going slower according to the weather, kids out at play, pedestrians and cyclists being present, etc. It means observing each and every traffic sign and signal. These are each simple, and doable, actions that become habits when we practice them each and every opportunity we get to do so - which is dozens of times a day, at the very least, for most of us (and hundreds of times a day for many).
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 exists to support neighborhoods and whole communities in establishing these caring behaviors as the norm - what is to be expected - on neighborhood streets, and beyond. In doing so, we can experience true freedom - the freedom to care for ourselves and for others. Find out how you can engage your neighborhood/community in caring actions today by visiting http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/.
And remember, “Don’t Let the 2 Minutes You ‘Save’Be the Last 2 Minutes of Someone’s Life.” Adapted from David Townsend (Tia’s father)
In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)kkad25@kkad25.org
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
P.S. - Take time to make your tax-deductible donation to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 at KKAD25 Donate. Thanks!
We often hear about "personal freedom." Sometimes this appears to be shorthand for the right to act however we would like whenever we would like wherever we would like.
When it comes to driving/riding behaviors this can translate into not buckling up, not wearing a helmet, excessive speed, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals - and the list goes on and on. The question that begs to be asked is, "Is personal freedom real freedom?"
To answer this question I fall back on my favorite definition of freedom; that is, "True freedom is the ability to love/care in all situations." What this means is that freedom is not all about me. It is also about how my actions affect the people I care for and the people who care about me.
Relate this definition of freedom to motor vehicle safety. If we take our relationships with others seriously, it implies that we will do whatever is in our power to act in a way to keep ourselves safe so as not to put loved ones in a situation where they are left blindsided by a tragedy. This means buckling up every trip every time. It means wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bike. It means observing the speed limit or going slower according to the weather, kids out at play, pedestrians and cyclists being present, etc. It means observing each and every traffic sign and signal. These are each simple, and doable, actions that become habits when we practice them each and every opportunity we get to do so - which is dozens of times a day, at the very least, for most of us (and hundreds of times a day for many).
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 exists to support neighborhoods and whole communities in establishing these caring behaviors as the norm - what is to be expected - on neighborhood streets, and beyond. In doing so, we can experience true freedom - the freedom to care for ourselves and for others. Find out how you can engage your neighborhood/community in caring actions today by visiting http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/.
And remember, “Don’t Let the 2 Minutes You ‘Save’Be the Last 2 Minutes of Someone’s Life.” Adapted from David Townsend (Tia’s father)
In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)kkad25@kkad25.org
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
P.S. - Take time to make your tax-deductible donation to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 at KKAD25 Donate. Thanks!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
1000 People Who Care - Keep Kids Alive!
Dear Friend in Safety,
Thousands of Non-Profits have closed their doors due to the economic downturn of the past year. In the midst of challenging times, Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is committed to carrying on our mission, and to growing stronger, in supporting community action to engage each of us, and all of us, in making our roadways safer for all who use them - motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
We, meaning our Board of Directors and I, are working hard to keep Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 viable. Our latest venture to raise money is to find 1000 people who care to donate $5.00 per month (or more) to support our mission through The Network for Good. Our target is to achieve this goal by July 1, 2010. We have built our mission through grassroots involvement in over 1000 communities around the country. We return to these roots to invite small, but significant, donations to help us grow in the future. Every contribution makes a difference - for you, your neighbors, for families who have experienced the death of a loved one - in short, for every one of us.
In addition to making your own commitment to donate, please invite at least 10, or more, of your friends and relatives to become donors - for the cost of one foot-long Subway sandwich or one KFC value meal per month. All donations are tax-deductible. Every donor receives acknowledgment along with a small, meaningful, gift from Keep Kids Alive Drive 25. Your help by inviting others to support the mission would be a tremendous favor to help us grow in the next year. (Remember, an average of 102 people die each and every day of the year on America's roadways. These are our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends. Please feel free to tell the people you invite why you are supporting Keep Kids Alive Drive25.)
Anyone you invite who has questions can contact me directly at Tom@kkad25.org or 402-334-1391. They can also visit our web site to learn more about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/. If you know a business that would like to be a sponsor, have them contact me directly.
To make a donation, all you have to do is click on The Network for Good.
And remember, Your generous giving keeps kids living.
Thousands of Non-Profits have closed their doors due to the economic downturn of the past year. In the midst of challenging times, Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is committed to carrying on our mission, and to growing stronger, in supporting community action to engage each of us, and all of us, in making our roadways safer for all who use them - motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
We, meaning our Board of Directors and I, are working hard to keep Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 viable. Our latest venture to raise money is to find 1000 people who care to donate $5.00 per month (or more) to support our mission through The Network for Good. Our target is to achieve this goal by July 1, 2010. We have built our mission through grassroots involvement in over 1000 communities around the country. We return to these roots to invite small, but significant, donations to help us grow in the future. Every contribution makes a difference - for you, your neighbors, for families who have experienced the death of a loved one - in short, for every one of us.
In addition to making your own commitment to donate, please invite at least 10, or more, of your friends and relatives to become donors - for the cost of one foot-long Subway sandwich or one KFC value meal per month. All donations are tax-deductible. Every donor receives acknowledgment along with a small, meaningful, gift from Keep Kids Alive Drive 25. Your help by inviting others to support the mission would be a tremendous favor to help us grow in the next year. (Remember, an average of 102 people die each and every day of the year on America's roadways. These are our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends. Please feel free to tell the people you invite why you are supporting Keep Kids Alive Drive25.)
Anyone you invite who has questions can contact me directly at Tom@kkad25.org or 402-334-1391. They can also visit our web site to learn more about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/. If you know a business that would like to be a sponsor, have them contact me directly.
To make a donation, all you have to do is click on The Network for Good.
And remember, Your generous giving keeps kids living.
In safety, and with gratitude,
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/
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