Thank You for Keeping Kids Alive

Dear Friends of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25,

As Thanksgiving is upon us, it is appropriate to give thanks for all the good you have helped bring into the world through your support of our mission these past 15+ years.

We give thanks for…

…The hundreds of neighborhood associations, schools, civic organizations, and individual citizens that have contributed to seeding and growing “Keep Kids Alive” initiatives in over 1,500 communities representing 49 states, the District of Columbia, 3 Canadian Provinces, the Bahamas, and Queensland State Australia.

…The families of loved ones who have died in traffic incidents who have shared the love of their daughters, sons, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and grandparents with our mission through Live Forward! and the “Run to Remember” Many of these families continue to make a difference through foundations established in honor or their loved one to bring great good into the world. Families have also served as inspiration for our traffic safety initiatives.

…The Echo Hills Neighborhood in Sarpy County, Nebraska – the first to initiate KKAD25 in January, 1999.

…The City of Danville, CA – the first to integrate KKAD25 into their traffic-calming program in January, 1999

…The City of New Berlin, WI – the City with the longest-running campaign, 14 years and counting.

…The City of Oceanside, CA – the first to conduct a study on the effectiveness of a KKAD25 yard sign campaign – showed a 16% decrease in average speeds, 6 mph slower.

…The City of Oro Valley, AZ, the first community to initiate “America’s Trash Talks to Keep Kids Alive,” resulting in a 13.5% decrease in average speeds, 4.5 mph slower – average speeds down to 24.5 mph

…Over 500 law enforcement agency partners

…Our corporate sponsors and partners, which include:

         Plymouth Rock Assurance of New Jersey, a corporate partner since 2005 that has supported growth of KKAD25 in almost 100 communities throughout the State.

         GEICO Philanthropic Fund, providing support since 2005, and a key catalyst in the growth of “America’s Trash Talks to Keep Kids Alive”

         Ford Motor Company Fund – our first “Run to Remember” sponsor and partner with KKAD25 through Driving Skills for Life

         UPS, Wells Fargo Bank, US Bank, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Werner Enterprises, America Family Insurance, Farmers Insurance, AAA Cornhusker Motor Club, Central States Insurance, Clear Channel Communications, and Time Warner Media.

         Our hundreds of individual donors and family foundations who have so generously contributed financially to keep our mission alive to date.

         The generosity of dozens of Board Members who have faithfully worked to guide our mission and keep KKAD25 viable throughout our brief history.

To each of you, may your blessings be easily in evidence as you gather with family and friends to give thanks this Thanksgiving and throughout the Holiday Season.

Safe travels,

Tom Everson

Executive Director & Founder
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^®A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org 

Educate Your Driving Brain - Hands and Minds Together

 

Recently I met Nate Jones, a master mechanic who has established "Kids Hands and Minds Together", a non-profit that promotes educating the brain through hands-on activity. The goal is to encourage creativity, three-dimensional problem solving, team building, and convergent thinking (the ability to derive the single best, or most often correct answer to a question). He has established a hands-on laboratory for kids on the U.S.S. Iowa, a WWII era battleship that is now docked in Los Angeles Harbor.

 

Nate got me thinking about the connection between hands and brains when it come to driving. For most of us this means we begin to learn driving skills as teenagers. Obviously driving is a hands-on activity. Our brains must be fully engaged in order to be, and to become, the very best driver possible. Perhaps the most important aspect of hand-brain development when it comes to driving is that of convergent thinking. One of the most basic questions we can ask and answer is, "Why are there traffic laws?"

I would contend any traffic law established for the public good is first and foremost about preserving relationships - with those we love, with those who love us, as well as with all our fellow human beings we will never know that we encounter on or along the road each day. Each of these people also are loved by and love others as well. 

Would it not then make sense to educate our brains through the actions of our hands behind the wheel? Why? To preserve the relationships we have with those we care for and who care for us, as well as for all others we encounter on or around roadways? We can engage in this process by doing the following:

Walk around your vehicle to make sure no children are hiding in blind spots. Use your hands to clean windows, adjust mirrors, correctly position the driver's seat, etc, 

Use your hands to turn off your cell phone and set it aside until I reach my destination

Use your hands to Buckle up and make sure all passengers are buckled up as well

 

Observe all posted speed limits in neighborhoods and beyond, and adjust downward due to presence of children at play, cyclists, road and weather conditions

Create space - at least 3 to 4 seconds between your vehicle and others around you, allowing time to react to the driving behaviors of others

Be a thinker and use your hand to engage your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes

Stop! Take 3 to See at all stop signs regardless of whether or not anyone is present - it is your opportunity to practice making complete stops so you are ready the one time that someone does seem to appear out of nowhere

Observe all traffic signals and traffic signs

Repeatedly practice each and every one of these skills every time you get behind the wheel to help shape your brain to think first about keeping yourself and others safe and alive so that you and others enjoy more fully every good that life brings. 

Finally, think of the ones you love, the ones who are waiting for you to return home safely. Ask the questions:

"Who do I love" and "who loves me?" 

May the faces of all the loved ones you picture in your mind give you the "will" to educate your mind as you practice keeping your hands on the wheel and develop the driving skills necessary to keep kids (of all ages) alive and to make safe driving behaviors a lifetime, life-preserving, and life-saving habit. 

Learn more about how to begin a "Keep Kids Alive" educational campaign in your community @ Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®

"Like" KKAD25 on Facebook

Donate to support our mission at KKAD25 Donate

Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Keeping Kids Alive in 2014 -Who Do You Love? Who Loves You?

Who Do You Love? Who Loves You?

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

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25^® is two-fold:

1. To change the way we drive on neighborhood streets, and beyond, through support of communities in creating comprehensive traffic safety solutions that engage residents as front-line solutions to the problems we create - speeding, stop-sign running, all manner of distracted driving, tailgating, buckling up, etc.

2. To support families who experience the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident through Live Forward!™

In addition to continued support for over 1,500 communities developing and implementing neighborhood-based traffic safety education campaigns, major priorities for KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 include:

• Establishing an endowment to support future growth of the KKAD25 mission
• Development and funding for Live Forward!™ to support families whose loved ones have died due to a traffic incident in creating legacies to honor their lives and to bring greater good into the world.

• Develop and fund the national “Who do you love? Who loves you?” educational media campaign promoting safe driving behaviors.
• Continued development and funding of “America’s Trash Talks to Keep Kids Alive”
• Continued development and funding of “A License to Live” - a peer-to-peer marketing campaign promoting safe driving behaviors among high school students.

Make your tax deductible donation today @ KKAD25 Donate Checks can be sent to:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144


Thank you for your consideration and support. Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Questions? Call 402-334-1391

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit Corporation 501(c)(3)

12418 C Street Omaha, NE 68144 (402) 334-1391 www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org