Thanks for all you do to Keep Kids Alive

Thank you for…

…setting your cell phone aside to concentrate on just driving

…buckling up every trip, and making sure all passengers do so as well

…observing all speed limits, and adjusting downward due to weather, construction, or other factors

…stopping at stop signs and observing all traffic signals and signs correctly

…never drinking and then driving

…not tailgating

Each time you did so in 2011 helped keep kids of all ages – we’re all someone’s daughter or son – alive. May these behaviors continue to protect you and others on every road you travel in 2012.

These behaviors reinforce many of the successes enjoyed by Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® in the past year. These include:

• ·       Our Traffic Safety Pilot Project in cooperation with neighborhood associations and schools in South Omaha, Nebraska. Law enforcement, traffic engineering students at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Mammel and UPS Foundations all contributed to this project to engage residents as a front-line solution to speeding concerns in their neighborhoods.

• ·       The kick-off of “America’s Trash Talks to Keep Kids Alive.” GECIO’s regional office in Florida and AAA Nebraska’s Cornhusker Motor Club Foundation joined in as our first two partners in this project. We look forward to adding more corporations and foundations in this major initiative in 2012.

• ·       16 communities representing 10 States launched initiatives in conjunction with our 5^th Annual Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day on May 1^st. New Berlin, Wisconsin leads the way as a city that has expanded their Keep Kids Alive campaign every year for 12 years – truly a remarkable feat.
• ·       The Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) class at Millard South High School in Omaha, NE is the first to create an in-school marketing campaign to promote safe driving among students and their family members. You can do so in your schools; visit A License to Live.

This is just a starter list of all the good that Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® continues to support in educating and engaging citizens across the U.S. about how we can each make a difference to keep everyone safe on and around roadways of all kinds. Thanks to all our donors who help make our mission possible.

To continue to fulfill our mission in 2012, we need your continued support.

Only 2 days remain to make your tax-deductible donation to support the growth of the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® mission in the New Year. We welcome your on-line donation today at KKAD25 Donate.

Thanks for your support. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 – A Non-Profit “For Action” Organization 501c3

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

402-334-1391

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Spread the news about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® by forwarding this message to a family member or friend. Thanks!

Thanks for Keeping Kids Alive in 2011

Whether a donor, volunteer in your community, law enforcement or public works employees, neighborhood or civic leader, corporate partner/sponsor, student, teacher, or mom or dad who cares, we thank you for all your support for the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® in 2011. Here are just three examples of how you have helped move the mission forward:

·      Work directly with 75 communities representing 21 states to continue to seed and root “Keep Kids Alive” initiatives across the country. To date we have worked with over 1,300 communities representing 49 states.

Anna Diffenderfer, Age 2, Perkiomenville, PA

·      Remember 51 loved ones whose families have connected with our mission through the 5^th Annual “Run to Remember” up Pikes Peak on August 20^th. We provided hundreds of “Memory” t-shirts to family members of the loved ones we ran to remember so that they can continue to keep the stories, memories, and love alive that their son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father shared with all who love them.

·      Launch the pilot project for “It’s Not A Race! Create Space^®” with the cooperation of Nebraksa-based R&M Transportation, Fremont Contract Carriers, and H&M Transportation. Each of these companies carries the “It’s Not A Race! Create Space^®” message out onto roadways to encourage us all to practice safe space management (29% of all injury crashes result from poor space management.) The Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, Great West Insurance, and the Nebraska Trucking Association are all key partners in this initiative.

To continue to fulfill our mission in 2012, we need your help.

3 days remain to make your tax-deductible donation to support the growth of the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® mission in the New Year. We welcome your on-line donation today at KKAD25 Donate.

Thanks for your support. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 – A Non-Profit “For Action” Organization 501c3

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

402-334-1391

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Spread the news about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® by forwarding this message to a family member or friend. Thanks!

Thanks for Keeping Kids Alive in 2011

Whether a donor, volunteer in your community, law enforcement or public works employees, neighborhood or civic leader, corporate partner/sponsor, student, teacher, or mom or dad who cares, we thank you for all your support for the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® in 2011. Here are just three examples of how you have helped move the mission forward:

·      Work directly with 75 communities representing 21 states to continue to seed and root “Keep Kids Alive” initiatives across the country. To date we have worked with over 1,300 communities representing 49 states.

Anna Diffenderfer, Age 2, Perkiomenville, PA

·      Remember 51 loved ones whose families have connected with our mission through the 5^th Annual “Run to Remember” up Pikes Peak on August 20^th. We provided hundreds of “Memory” t-shirts to family members of the loved ones we ran to remember so that they can continue to keep the stories, memories, and love alive that their son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father shared with all who love them.

·      Launch the pilot project for “It’s Not A Race! Create Space^®” with the cooperation of Nebraksa-based R&M Transportation, Fremont Contract Carriers, and H&M Transportation. Each of these companies carries the “It’s Not A Race! Create Space^®” message out onto roadways to encourage us all to practice safe space management (29% of all injury crashes result from poor space management.) The Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, Great West Insurance, and the Nebraska Trucking Association are all key partners in this initiative.

To continue to fulfill our mission in 2012, we need your help.

3 days remain to make your tax-deductible donation to support the growth of the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® mission in the New Year. We welcome your on-line donation today at KKAD25 Donate.

Thanks for your support. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 – A Non-Profit “For Action” Organization 501c3

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

402-334-1391

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Spread the news about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® by forwarding this message to a family member or friend. Thanks!

Drive to Keep Everyone Alive!

What is one gift we can give everyone while on the road during the holidays? The gift of safe driving behaviors. All we have to do to keep everyone alive is: 

• Hang up and drive
• Don't drink and drive
• Buckle up everyone every trip - no matter the distance
• Observe speed limits, and slow down according to weather/road conditions
• Remember, it's not a race, so create space - give yourself time to react to what goes on around you. 
• Observe traffic signals and signs. Stop! Take 3 to See at stop signs. 

Have a safe holiday season. 

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

     PS– If you are in a position to donate to support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 in 2012, your tax-deductible gift is greatly appreciated. Donate through our PayPal account at KKAD25 Donate

Send a check to:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

Three Reasons to Give:

1.   To support families who experience the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident

2.   To prevent deaths and injuries on roadways of all kinds.

3.   To continue to provide free support resources for communities/neighborhoods/schools to plan for implementation of local KKAD25 initiatives.

You can also donate on behalf of, or in memory of, a loved one. For additional reasons to give, please read KKAD25 Reviews

Your generous giving keeps kids living. Thank you for your generosity.

Hang Up and Drive and Keep Everyone Alive

We've all been hearing about the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation to ban all cell phone use while driving. Read this article for more research-based reasons why.

Research: hands-free phones just as risky

Please feel free to comment to get a discussion started.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

“EXTRA MILE” RECOGNITION FOR KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

“EXTRA MILE” RECOGNITION FOR KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^®

Gregg Young Chevrolet recognizes Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® with the “Extra Mile” Award.  Check out the story on at “KKAD25 Extra Mile” – Click on the video underneath the “The Winners Circle.”

Traffic Report from Tom Everson, Executive Director

As 2011 winds down I want to thank you for each and every action you have taken to help realize the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^®. Every time you observed the speed limit, stopped at a stop sign, buckled up, turned off and set your cell phone aside, and so many other actions, you contributed to the safety of others, along with yourself, each time you drove. I am grateful for every citizen who posted one of our KEEP KIDS ALIVE messages on a trashcan, via a yard sign, or on a car or window decal, as well as all who have donated financially to support the mission.

For over thirteen years KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^® has led the way in communities of all sizes in addressing neighborhood traffic safety concerns. No other organization is designed to do what KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^® does. To date, we have worked with and through over 400 law enforcement agencies, as well as hundreds of neighborhood and civic organizations, schools, public works and neighborhood services, and businesses in over 1,300 communities representing 49 states, 2 Canadian Provinces, the Bahamas, Australia, and India. Our mission and message resonate with traffic safety advocates and educators across the globe.

In the midst of a challenging economy, this past year we have supported new and expanding campaigns in 75 communities representing 21 states. Truly our message and mission are taking root and making a difference in communities large and small. We have managed to support these efforts on a budget of $84,000.00 for the 2010-11 fiscal year. With the support of our board of directors, we continue to squeeze every last drop out of funds available to make a difference on neighborhood streets (and beyond) from coast to coast.

Along the way we have met many families who have been directly affected by the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident. These families have become special partners with us in helping to create safer roadways to benefit everyone in their community – and sometimes beyond. We have been privileged to honor these loved ones each August for the past 5 years through our “Run to Remember” as part of the Pikes Peak Ascent Trail Race.

With our mission and partners in mind, I invite you to continue to help KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^® to go the extra mile in 2012 through your tax-deductible donation at KKAD25 Donate. Checks can be sent to:

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

Your generous giving keeps kids living.

"It's About Kids! It's About Safety!

It's About Caring! It's About Time!^®"

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

402-334-1391

Be Aware! Drive With Care - Keep Yourself and All Around You Alive this Winter

 

Tips to Keep You, Your Loved Ones, and All You Encounter Safe on Roadways Throughout the Winter

The following is a guest post written by Stuart A. Carpey of the Philadelphia personal injury law firm Kreithen, Baron & Carpey.

With winter upon us it is a good idea for drivers to start planning for the hazards which accompany icy, sleety, and snowy roads. To begin preparing for winter driving, you should assess your car or truck to make sure your vehicle is ready to meet the elements.

Make Sure…

• Your windshield wipers are in good shape and are functioning properly. Visibility is essential when driving in the snow.
• Your tires are in good shape, and have air in them. Your tires lose air faster in cold weather.
• You have anti-freeze, oil, and power steering fluid.
• You visit a mechanic to have your brakes, hoses, and belts checked.

Even after you have made sure that your car is in the proper condition, you should plan for the possibility of an emergency. Other drivers may not have taken the precautions that you have, which means you are still at risk for an accident caused by someone else. Do your best to prepare for an accident on snowy roads.

Make Sure You Have…

• A shovel to dig your car out if and when it gets stuck in the snow.
• A set of jumper cables. Car batteries tend to lose power faster in cold weather.
• Warm clothes in the car. In the event that you are stranded and waiting for assistance, your clothes may get wet from the surrounding snow, which makes a spare sweater, hat, gloves, and a blanket essential for staving off frostbite, hypothermia, or other ailments.
• An ice scraper and snow brush to help optimize visibility.
• A first aid kit in case of an injury.

Remember that if the roads are in poor condition, the safest thing you can do is not drive. However, if you must drive, check your local TV and radio stations for up-to-date information on the state of roads. And, as always, be careful and patient. Remember, Be Aware! Drive With Care® and It’s Not A Race! Create Space®

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Have a “B+” Thanksgiving and Keep Kids Alive!

A “B+” may not be the highest grade, but it’s a perfectly wonderful blood type, although rare. Only about 9% of us have a B+  “B positive” blood type.

When is comes to driving, though, 100% of us can embrace the need to “B positive”  - that is our driving behaviors need to be positive. So as we head out on roadways of all types this Thanksgiving, let’s make the grade a “B+” by:

•           Taking a walk around your car before backing up or driving forward. Make sure the coast truly is clear of children, pets, toys, etc
•     Buckling up everyone, every trip, no matter the distance– Seat Belts – FASTENATING!®
•       Observing the speed limit, going slower as conditions dictate – No Need To Speed®
•       Putting away all cell phones and other distractions – Hang Up and Drive and Be Aware! Drive With Care®
•       Not tailgating – It’s Not A Race! Create Space®
•       Observing Stop signs correctly – Stop! Take 3 To See®
•       Observing all traffic signals and signs.

Do all these and have a “B+” day every day you are behind the wheel.


www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

What is Your Dream for Children? Let's Keep 'Em Alive

Peter Benson, late President of the Search Institute, talks about the "language of thriving;" that is the words we use to describe our hopes and dreams for our children. See "Sparks: How Youth Thrive."


What is your dream? What are the words of "thriving" that comes to mind for you? Is it joy, hope, service, and a love and appreciation of others? 


Every action, every word, we use to engage others in our lives can reflect the dream we have for our children. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 plays a role in encouraging the realization these dreams.


How?


Simply by doing what is in our power to see to it that kids grow up to share their joy, passion, hope, and love with others - what Benson calls "sparks!"


Every time we buckle up, observe a speed limit, stop at a stop sign, put aside our cell phone when we drive, decide not to drink and drive, choose not to tailgate, we take the power we have to do what we can to help dreams come true. What we do to prevent tragedy is directly tied to helping kids realize their dreams. Why? Because they are alive.


Do what you can do to keep dreams, and kids, alive today. Be that spark so they can sparkle!


Get involved at www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

It's Not A Race! Create Space Keep Us All Alive

R&M Transportation, our first partner with our "It's Not A Race! Create Space" Campaign sent this photo - see lower righthand corner.

Remember, 29% of all injury crashes result from poor space management on the part of drivers (read-tailgating). Our behavior behind the wheel makes all the difference. Make a life-giving difference today and everyday. Learn more at 
"It's Not A Race! Create Space"

Support the mission at KKAD25 Donate
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Halloween Most Dangerous Night-Keep Kids Alive!

Kyle Foster, Age 10, died as a result of being hit while crossing the street in front of his home in Mesquite, TX on Halloween, 2003

Dear Friends,

Just a quick note to highlight a couple of facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

-Halloween has the highest number of child pedestrian deaths. These typically occur on residential streets
-It also has the highest number of DUI-related crash 
fatalities

What can we do? Here are tips from the California Office for Traffic Safety

For tricker-treaters:

-Plan your route ahead of time on well-lit streets. Avoid busy streets.
-Choose a costume that makes it easier to walk, see and be seen. Light color costumes are best.
-Select costumes, masks, wigs or beards made of flame-retardant materials. Avoid flimsy, lightweight fabrics and costumes with billowing skirts or loose, baggy sleeves.
-A mask may keep kids from seeing well. Consider using makeup instead of a mask for added safety.
-It's best to trick-or-treat when it's still light outside, but a flashlight can help trick-or-treaters be seen.
-Use reflective tape on costumes.

For drivers:

-Avoid driving through residential areas where trick-or-treaters are likely to be present.
-Obey all traffic signs and signals. The risk of killing a pedestrian increases more than many people realize with just small increases in speed. A pedestrian is nearly twice as likely to be killed if he or she is hit by a car going 30 mph compared to if they're hit at 25 mph. 
-Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs, and in dark costumes — they'll be harder to see at night. Also, be aware that trick-or-treaters may not be paying attention to traffic and may run out mid-block or between parked cars. Motorists should scan far ahead when driving in residential areas, watch for children and cautiously monitor their actions. Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible — even in daylight.
-Plan ahead if you will be drinking. Designate a sober driver. If you are already out and have had too much to drink, call a taxi, friend or family to drive you home.
-Party hosts should have plenty of food on hand for everyone throughout the evening and several non-alcoholic drink choices for the designated drivers. 
-Don't allow anyone to leave if you have any doubts about their ability to drive.

Have a happy and safe Halloween.

To help keep kids alive all year long in your neighborhood, visit www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org.

"Don't let the 2 minutes you 'save' be the last 2 minutes of someone's life." Dave Townsend (Tia's Dad - Tia was hit and killed while walking in a marked cross-walk that also had a stop sign.)

Make it a Happy Halloween and Keep Kids Alive!

Our friend Sal from Pleasanton, California sends this timely Halloween message.

Thanks Sal!

Get the "Keep Kids Alive" message out in your neighborhood this Halloween - visit KKAD25 Store. All proceeds support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25.

Reflect Your Desire to Keep Kids Alive

Kyle Foster, Age 10 – Died Halloween Night 2003 when hit while crossing the street.

All donations of $25.00 or more will receive Reflective Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 decals to pass out to trick-or-treaters – 2”X3” decals – 1 for each dollar donated while supply lasts. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate to receive decals by October 31^st.

In addition, get the "Keep Kids Alive" message out in your neighborhood this Halloween - visit KKAD25 Store. All proceeds support the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25.

 “Run 5 to Keep Kids Alive!”

Made many new friends the week of October 12-18 in California.  Participated in the run to "Honor Conor" - see Huge Turnout for Conor Lynch 5K Run/Walk. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is honored to partner with the Conor Lynch Foundation in promoting safe driving behaviors.

You Met the $1,000.00 Challenge!

Andrew “AJ” Brumback, Age 8, Westminster, CA – Died January 19^th of this year when hit while riding his bike to school.

Thanks to all who helped meet the $1,000.00 Challenge Grant made by an anonymous donor. Donations made in memory of Andrew “A.J” Brumback and Aaron Brock put us over the top.

Consider a year-end gift in the name of a loved one. On-line visit KKAD25 Donate.

By mail:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

Need reasons to give? Visit KKAD25 Testimonials

Remember, "It's About Kids! It's About Safety! It's About Caring! It's About Time!"

Remember You Are Loved

Who Do You Love? Who Loves You?

Exits and entries; we make dozens of these each day. What we say to those we care for can make all the difference when they leave home, are dropped off for school or work, and again when they return home. 


Many of these exits involve leaving home, school, or other location by motor vehicle. Each exit is an invitation to simply let those we care for know they are loved. A simple way to do so is to say, "Remember you are loved," each time a loved one parts our company. These words may make all the difference. Try it today, tomorrow, and every day.


And remember to reflect that love in word and action when those we care for return home. This truly allows them to know they are loved the next time they hear the words, "Remember you are loved."


Tom
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org


PS - for information on presentations to help parents make the most of exits and entries, visit Tom Everson Support Services - for schools, faith communities, youth/family serving organizations, and businesses providing family support resources for employees.

All Roads Lead to Memory Lane

Anna, age 2, Perkiomenville, PA

365 days a year an average of over 90 loved ones die on American roadways, with thousands more dying on roads around the world. Their names include Anna, Shaye, Kyle, Erika, Justin, Anthony, Nadia, Cady, James, Ashley, Brianna, Ian, Tia, Conor, Maddison, Nick, Natalie,and so many others loved by family and friends. They are our daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, moms, dads. They die on every kind of roadway, from the neighborhood street to the highway. 


When we think about it, every road we travel leads to memory lane - the place that held the possibilities, the hopes, the dreams, of those that every family that has experienced the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident recall each day. We may not think about these loved ones each time we take to the road, but their memories are indeed present on just about any stretch of road we travel.

Michael Everson's "Run to Remember" shoe dedicated to Erika Joy Rowan

How can you honor the memory of every loved one who had died in a traffic incident? I suggest that we do so every time we act in a courteous and safe manner behind the wheel or while a passenger in a motor vehicle. All you have to do is:

Be Aware! Drive With Care - Notice what is going on around as you drive - people walking, riding, children at play - and slow down or adjust other behaviors accordingly.

You care by walking around our vehicle before getting in and starting the engine. Make sure no children are around who may be hit as we back up or move forward.

You care by buckling up and making sure all passengers do so as well.

You care by putting away your cell phone - no talking, no texting. The research is in; even talking on a cell phone - hands-free or otherwise - causes one to drive more erratically than driving under the influence at .08 - legally drunk. 

 You care by observing speed limits, stop signs and traffic signals. We remember the words of Tia's dad, "Don't let the 2 minutes you save be the last 2 minutes of someone's life." He uttered these words in the wake of Tia's death - hit while crossing in a marked crosswalk at a stop sign. The first driver stopped. The one behind him decide to go around, hitting Tia and her friend, who luckily survived.

.

You care by creating space between your vehicle and others around you. A rule of thumb; allow 3 seconds of space between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Find a fixed object - a pole, a bridge, a sign - make sure that 3 seconds pass before you pass that object after vehicle in front of you passes that same object.

As you head out on the road, make every trip worthy of a drive down memory lane in honor of all who have died on roadways of every kind.

To make a difference in your community, visit: www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Call Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®at 402-334-1391.

It’s About Kids! It’s About Safety! It’s About Caring! It’s About Time!®

Make Your Next Race a "Run to Remember"

Make the difference! Be the difference!

Calling all runners! Make your next road or trail race a "Run to Remember" and help keep kids of all ages alive. Find out how to make it happen at "Run to Remember."

Every Picture Tells A Story to Help Keep Kids Alive

Here are photos of billboards posted around Omaha, NE. 

Thanks to UPS Foundation for funding these.*

And, as Paul Harvey used to say, "Here's the rest of the story."


The quote from David Townsend came in the aftermath of Tia's, death at age 11. Tia and a friend were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk at a stop sign in Shoreline, Washington. The first car to approach the sign/crosswalk stopped. The motorist behind him decided to pull around him - hitting and killing Tia and injuring her friend.


Ashley Steffen, age 17, of Waukesha, WI was standing in her driveway waiting for the school bus. A classmate raced down here 25 mph posted street at almost 60 mph, lost control, smashing into Ashley and ending her life.

Shaye Martin, age 8, was walking to school on the sidewalk in a designated school zone in Doral, FL when a motorist sped through at 60 mph, jumped the curb, running him over and ending his life.


David Townsend's message, along with the desire of Ashley's and Shaye's families to never have another family endure what they have experienced, should resonate with every one of us each time we get behind the wheel. Our behavior behind the wheel makes a life or death difference. Which behaviors do we choose to engage in? 


For more about Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 visit www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org
*E-mail kkad25@kkad25.org or call 402-334-1391 if you are interested in utilizing these billboard messages in your community.

9/11 - Diminished and Challenged to Keep All Loved Ones Alive

Death diminishes and challenges us all, no matter what the circumstances.

As we observe the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, memorial services are held in communities of all sizes across our country. Even some NFL players wear specially designed gear in support of families who experienced the loss of a loved one on that day, or in the ensuing conflicts that have been fought in Afghanistan, and Iraq. Thousands have died, and whether each of us personally new these victims, we along with their families are diminished due to the loss of the love and service they would have continued to share with family, friends, and others in need throughout our world.

I am reminded, too, that over 350,000 loved ones have died during the past 10 years on our nations roadways. Their family and friends also grieve the loss of love, friendship, and service that their children, siblings, parents, cousins, friends undoubtedly would have shared had they lived. 

How are all the deaths of these loved ones connected? Quite simply, the death of anyone we care for, and who cared for us, is never easy, and we are all diminished by what might have been had they lived - through the tragedies of the Twin Towers, Shanksville, and the Pentagon, to the battlefields of the Middle East, to the death of a child at the hands of a speeding, texting, or stop-sign running driver.  We imagine a high school graduation, a wedding, a future grandchild, a hug, an "I love you," a hike in the mountains together, sharing holidays and birthdays, and so much more. We often grieve for the possibilities of the future, for what could have been.

Within our sorrow, we are left not only with memories, but also of the challenge of new possibilities - of what we each can do to create a legacy in remembering all the life and love a daughter, son, brother, sister, mother, father, friend has shared with us. Over the 13 years that I have worked to grow Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, I have encountered families who, like many of the survivors of the tragedies of 9/11, work to bring great good into our world in memory of their loved one. Click on these links to learn their stories.

• Cady Ann Reynolds, Age 17, Omaha, NE
• Conor Lynch, Age 16, Van Nuys, CA
• Brianna Vitek, Age 16, Winona, MN
• Emily Jasmine Ranyak, Age 18, Merritt Island, FL
• Gabby Mair, Age 12, Deltona, FL
• Brandon McPherson, Age 16, Weatherby Lake, MO
• Erika Joy Rowan, Age 16, Cozad, NE
• Graeme Preston Age 12, Freehold NJ
• Nick Peters, Age 15, Wahoo, NE
• Matt Schmill, Age 23, Omaha, NE
• James Davis, Age 29, White Bear Lake, MN
• Maddison Hart, Age 5, Sikeston, MO
• Myles McCarron, Age 16, Lunenburg, MA

In addition, these families have enacted redeeming actions on behalf of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists in memory of their loved ones:

• Sean Martin has tirelessly worked with local officials and schools in Miami Lakes, FL in honor of his son, Shaye, struck by a speeding motorist while walking on the sidewalk in a school zone. Shaye's photo appears on the above banner.
• Barbara Foster, along with her State Representative and many friends worked to see "Kyle's Law" through to passage to allow Texas communities to more easily lower their residential speed limits.
• Karen Steffan initiated Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 in Waukesha, WI in honor of Ashley - whose photo appears on the banner above. 
• Natalie DeLeon's mother, Beatriz, daily efforts working with Massachusetts legislators to enact a primary seat belt law in her honor.
• The Henry family of Yardville, NJ set up an educational scholarship in honor of Anthony. This year they awarded 10 scholarships in Anthony's name.
• The Diffenderfers of Perkiomenville, PA created a butterfly garden for the community in honor of 2 year-old Anna.
• The Faust family of Lees Summit, MO doggedly worked to address engineering challenges that factored in to Justin's death. 
• The Lloyd family of Omaha set up a scholarship fun in honor of Shannon to support one or more classmates upon their graduation from high school in 2012.

These efforts in memory of loved ones join today, and each day, with the families of all who have ever experienced the tragic death of a loved one. As we embrace the life we have been given, each of us is challenged each day to live a life worthy of creating a legacy that can benefit others. We can start by paying attention to our interactions within our families, among our neighbors, and with as we meet folks we might ordinarily think of as strangers. Building a legacy begins with courtesy, with manners, with consideration. We can even include our driving behaviors, which can make all the difference in keeping others, and ourselves, safe and alive on and around roadways of all kinds. Begin today by visiting "Get Started to Keep Kids Alive."

Contact: Tom Everson

Phone: 402-334-1391

E-mail: Tom@kkad25.org

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org