09/15/2016
Hello Friends!
As many of you know, although some of you may not, August and September are incredibly hard months for our family, with both the birth and death of my niece, Olivia Hellwig on September 17, 2011.
Olivia was 1 year, 1 month, and 1 day old when she was killed in a crosswalk at a little league field in Georgia by a careless and distracted driver. If you haven’t heard Liv’s story, please read the article here:
http://dadoralive.com/2012/01/1-year-1-month-1-day/
It’s been really important to our entire extended family to help our children remember Liv and honor her short life. We’ve all been robbed, so much has been taken from us, our family has been tested and shaken to its very core, but during these months we try to take time to focus on the blessings and the brief time we did have with her. Two years ago, in an effort to establish tradition for my own children and awareness for others, the Kulp family walked around our neighborhood and drew messages at most stop sign intersections reminding drivers to stop, look around, and remember.
It was a big undertaking, so this year I’m hoping for the help of some amazing friends across the nation!
On Saturday, September 17, 2016 in the morning, the anniversary of her death, we are once again going to be walking the neighborhood with the kids writing remembrance signs chalked onto the pavement at every main intersection in our development (I've created an album of last year's)! Clearly we can’t do it all ourselves, so I’d love to know if any of our friends would be willing to take on their own streets and surrounding areas? And not just in our neighborhood, but in areas all across the country!
If each of you could take on a portion of your neighborhood and chalk-write these messages at your stop signs, it would be such a huge help! The hope would be that everyone driving through the neighborhood would see it and think twice.
What do you say, any takers? :) And please feel free to share this amongst your friends!
In an amazingly perfect world, we would love to see signs like this all across the nation!
Two things...
1) Brooke and Brad are so thankful and only ask that everyone please exercise the absolute utmost caution when in streets. You need to be very careful. Clearly we are talking about small, neighborhood intersections with very little traffic.
2) Please take a photograph of your art :) and upload it, tagging The Olivia Anne Hellwig Foundation (and if possible, Brooke Mayer Hellwig and Brad Hellwig so that they're able to see them all!
Please feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions.
Many, many thanks!
Jen
(Dad or Alive, Brooke Mayer Hellwig, Brad Hellwig, Elaine Mayer, Bob Mayer, Marilyn Hellwig, Lindsey Mayer Trost, Jonathan Trost, Max Mayer, Lorene Lou Mayer, Bill Mayer, Lee Mayer, Dick Mayer, Sue Mayer Hankins, Mel Mayer Ferris, Lori Mayer Miles)
