Resolve to be Selfish!

The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® 

 is to make streets safer for all who walk, ride, play, cycle and drive.

 Who do you love? Who loves you?

The New Year is upon us. Time to make a resolution to think of yourself first - that's right, be selfish!

Specifically, be selfish while you are driving. Drive like your life depends upon your every action - both before entering your vehicle as a well as when you are behind the wheel. Doing so preserves your own life, and helps preserves the lives of other as well. Being selfish can serve a a greater purpose and benefit others.

So, go ahead and be selfish this year by...

...walking around your vehicle to make sure there are no kids playing behind or around it.

...hiding your cell phone - where you can't reach it - so that it does not serve as a distraction as you drive (remember when no one had to worry about doing this? Cell phone use while driving is becoming the new "Drunk Driving")

…never drinking and driving

...buckling up every trip, and expect all passengers to do so as well, no matter the distance of the trip. Remember, unbuckled passengers can serve as "backseat bullets" careening all over your vehicle in the event of a crash.

...stopping at stop signs and taking 3 seconds to look left, look right, look left again - work hard to make sure the street really is clear of other moving vehicles, pedestrians trying to cross, and cyclists making their way along roadways.

…stopping to make sure intersections and crosswalks are clear before making lefthand or righthand turns at traffic signals

…observing the speed limit, and driving slower when weather conditions or the presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists dictate doing so.

...being a thinker and use your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes.

…creating 3-4 seconds of following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you so you have time to react to the driving actions of others.

Repetitive practice of all these behaviors - being selfish for your own good and the good of others - is what helps us improve our driving skills each day. None of us will ever be the perfect driver. Yet, if we are driven to by selfishness each time we get behind the wheel, we can make a life-giving difference each and every trip. So, go ahead and be selfish in your driving behaviors this year. The life you preserve will be your own, and possibly of someone you love as well.

It's About Kids! It's About Safety! 

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,
Tom Everson

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 

Make your donation to support the KKAD25 mission today @ KKAD25 Donate. A personal thank you note will arrive in your mailbox (not your e-mail box).

Driving the Mission to Keep Kids Alive

The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® is to make streets safer for all who 

 walk, cycle, play, drive, and ride.

 Who do you love? Who loves you?
It's About Kids! It's About Safety! It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 turned 16 this year. To date we have partnered with traffic safety advocates in almost 1,600 communities representing 49 states, 3 Canadian provinces, the Bahamas, and Queensland State, Australia. As the year winds down, we are thankful for all these communities that have initiated or expanded their "Keep Kids Alive" campaigns this year.

• Reading, PA - Alvernia University
• Lyford Cay, Bahamas
• Hamburg, PA
• McCandless, PA
• New Berlin, WI - 15 years of growing their campaign, longest in our history
• Ridgewood, NJ - A model for incorporation into Safe Routes to School
• Malvern, PA
• Cranberry Township, PA - America's Trash Talks to Keep Kids Alive
• Eldorado Springs, CO
• Wentzville, MO
• Greenwood Village, CO
• Golden, CO
• Springfield, NE
• Nutley, NJ
• Harbor City, CA
• Alpharetta, GA
• Rocklin, CA
• Asheville, NC
• Egg Harbor, NJ
• Maplewood, NJ
• Haddonfield, NJ
• Omaha, NE
• Machesney Park, IL
• Charlotte, NC
• Chowchilla, CA
• Wildwood, MO
• Tucson, AZ
• Council Bluffs, IA
• Courtland, NY
• Yukon, OK
• Columbus, OH
• Clarence Center, NY
• Sebring, FL
• Oceanside, CA
• Dallas, TX
• Vista, CA
• Salem, OR
• Santa Monica, CA
• St. Charles, MO
• Fairfax, VA
• Katy, TX
• Phillipsburg, KS
• Royal Oak, MI
• Englishtown, NJ
• Mukwonago, WI
• Waterloo, NE

Communities represent 21 States and the Bahamas

Live Forward! has also expanded its reach this year, connecting with over 90 families whose loved ones have died in traffic incidents. These families are amazing in that they are bringing so much good into the world in honor of their loved ones.

We are thankful for all who have donated to keep our mission alive and thriving - individuals, corporations, and foundations alike. Much work remains to be done. You can help to make it happen through your year-end tax-deductible donation @ KKAD25 Donate. Checks can be sent to:

KKAD25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

Know that I always welcome the invitation to present "Traffic Safety: It's No Accident" in your community. Please call or e-mail with any questions.

Safe travels,
Tom
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  

Who Do You Love? Who Loves You? A Living Mission

   The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25¨ is to make streets safer for all who walk, cycle, play, drive, and ride. 

In this Season of Thanksgiving, Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is going into "Let's Make our Mission Happen in 2015" mode. The best reasons to give are found in your answers to these questions:

Who do you love?

Who loves you?

Our mission is founded on and rooted in relationships – preserving lives. Learn more @ KKAD25 Top-Rated Non-Profit

Here are 4 ways you can donate (tax-deductible) to help make it happen:

    

     1.    Become a monthly donor through the Network for Good - .50 a day would be $15.00 a month. $1 a day would be $30.00 per month. You can do so @ KKAD25-Network for Good

     2.    Make a donation on-line @ KKAD25 Donate

     3.    Send a year-end donation by check to:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

     4.    Create a monthly draft through your bank, which is becoming a more popular option for donating. Donations mailed to address above.

All donations are tax-deductible. E-mail or call 402-334-1391 with any questions.

Your generous giving keeps kids living! 

Thank you for your consideration and support.

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 68144www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org 

Imagine!!

Imagine!! Imagine a day in which no-one is injured or dies due to a motor vehicle incident. What did you do behind the wheel to help make this possible?

Did you...

...walk around your vehicle to make sure there are no kids playing behind or around it.

...hide your cell phone - where you can't reach it - so that it did not serve as a distraction as you drive (remember when no one had to worry about doing this? Cell phone use while driving is becoming the new "Drunk Driving")

…refuse to drink and drive

...buckle up, and expect all passengers to do so as well, no matter the distance of the trip. Remember, unbuckled passengers can serve as "backseat bullets" careening all over your vehicle in the event of a crash.

...stop at stop signs and take 3 seconds to look left, look right, look left again - work hard to make sure the street really is clear of other moving vehicles, pedestrians trying to cross, and cyclists making their way along roadways.

…stop to make sure intersections and crosswalks are clear before making lefthand or righthand turns at traffic signals

…observe the speed limit, and drive slower when weather conditions or the presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists dictate doing so.

...act as a thinker and use your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes.

…create 3-4 seconds of following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you so you have time to react to the driving actions of others.

Repetitive practice of all these behaviors helps turn imagination into reality.  Let's each behave in ways to make what we "imagine'  a reality today. Then repeat each day. Make the life-giving difference each and every trip. 

It's About Kids! It's About Safety! 

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,
Tom Everson

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 

Make your donation to support the KKAD25 mission today @ KKAD25 Donate. A personal thank you note will arrive in your mailbox (not your e-mail box).

A Living Mission!

The mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^® is to make streets safer for all who walk, cycle, play, drive, and ride. This reads rather simply, but, as we know, by targeting safe-driving behaviors through our mission, we are automatically in it for the long haul - behaviors always take a great deal of practice over time in order to become part of who we are. This quote puts mission in proper perspective:

...Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime...
                                                                                    Reinhold Niebuhr

These words serve as reminders to us all that it is by virtue of all those who care about children at play, pedestrian, cyclists, and drivers of all ages that our mission is lived out on roadways throughout the world each day. It is in cooperation with individuals, families, neighborhoods, schools, law enforcement, public works, city planning, city government - in short, all who care - that mission happens. Educating all to practice the behaviors necessary to create such roadway/roadside environment is at the heart of the KKAD25 mission.

Thanks to all who share in our mission by virtue of the behaviors you practice behind the wheel each day. And thank you too to all who, through your generosity, donate to make it all possible.

Safe travels,
Tom Everson
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Just for Jersey - Community Traffic Safety: It's No Accident

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® KICK-OFF MAPLEWOOD,NJ

Who do you love? Who loves you?

The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® is to make

streets safer for all who walk, cycle, play, drive, and ride.

You’re invited, no matter where you live in New Jersey!

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 with our partner Teachers' Insurance Plan of New Jersey invites you to Community Traffic Safety: It’s No Accident, presented by Tom Everson, founder of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25/Teachers’ Insurance Plan Starter Kits - 1 yard-sign and 5 trash-can decals provided to first 50 participants at each event.

3 Opportunities the week of September 29^th at these Host Sites:

September 29^th, Maplewood – 7:30 p.m. @ Tuscan Elementary School, 25 Harvard Ave, Maplewood, NJ 07040

September 30^th, Haddonfield - 7:00 p.m. @ Haddonfield Middle School on the corner of Chestnut St and Lincoln Ave in Haddonfield, NJ 08033

October 1^st, Ridgewood - 7:30 p.m. @ Benjamin Franklin Middle School 335 N Van Dien Ave, Ridgewood NJ

Who should participate?

Residents/parents, school personnel and PTA members, law enforcement, public works, businesses, neighborhood organizations - anyone concerned about neighborhood and school zone traffic safety in your New Jersey community are invited to participate.

Purpose: To educate drivers, pedestrians, cyclists to work with community leaders to create safe roadway-roadside environments for the benefit of everyone. Specific behaviors addressed include speeding, stop-sign running, all manner of distracted driving, tailgating, and more!

Hope to see you and representatives of your community at one of the presentations. Call or e-mail with any questions.

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

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,

Tom Everson
Executive Director
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^®A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391

Tom@kkad25.org
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org 

Car Wars!

The mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® is to 

make streets safer for all who walk, ride, play, and drive. 

The definition of war is, "a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state." Considering this definition, when it comes to practicing unsafe driving behaviors, are we, as motorists armed with cars, trucks, and motorcycles, at war with ourselves within our nation, committed to exacting the highest possible toll of injuries and fatalities?

It is a question worth asking since our behaviors behind the wheel overwhelmingly contribute to motor vehicle deaths - on average, over 90 each day in America. What are these behaviors?

Speeding 
Stop Sign & Red Light Running
Tailgating
All manner of Distracted Driving, including cell phone use (hands-free included), personal grooming, eating, animals on laps (would you put an unrestrained child on your lap? - Yes, some do!)
Not Buckling Up
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and other Drugs
Riding motorcycles without a helmet 

Considering the rampant  expressions of these behaviors, and more, is it any wonder that over 30,000 loved ones die on our nations roadways each year? Do we give the appearance that we are committed to carrying out warfare behind the wheel from our neighborhoods to the highways?

How do we return peace to our streets? Turning street warfare into "care-fare" involves commitment, at the very least, to practicing the following behaviors:

Before starting a motor vehicle...

...walk around your vehicle to make sure there are no kids playing behind or around it.

...hide your cell phone - where you can't reach it - so that it does not serve as a distraction as you drive (remember when no one had to worry about doing this? Cell phone use while driving is becoming the new "Drunk Driving")

…never drink and drive

...buckle up every trip, and expect all passengers to do so as well, no matter the distance of the trip. Remember, unbuckled passengers can serve as "backseat bullets" careening all over your vehicle in the event of a crash.

...stop at stop signs and taking 3 seconds to look left, look right, look left again - work hard to make sure the street really is clear of other moving vehicles, pedestrians trying to cross, and cyclists making their way along roadways.

…stop to make sure intersections and crosswalks are clear before making lefthand or righthand turns at traffic signals

…observe the speed limit, and drive slower when weather conditions or the presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists dictate doing so.

...be a thinker and use your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes.

…create 3-4 seconds of following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you so you have time to react to the driving actions of others.

Repetitive practice of all these behaviors helps us improve our driving skills each day. None of us will ever be the perfect driver. Yet, if we are driven to care each time we get behind the wheel, we can make the life-giving difference each and every trip. 

It's About Kids! It's About Safety! 

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,
Tom Everson

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 

Make your donation to support the KKAD25 mission today @ KKAD25 Donate. A personal thank you note will arrive in your mailbox (not your e-mail box).