The Kailee Mills Foundation informs the public on the importance of seat belt use while encouraging and inspiring communities to protect themselves and their passengers by always wearing their seat belts. |
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May: Seat Belt Awareness Month It’s that time of the year. No, that doesn’t mean you should only be buckling up in May. It is a time for the education push to continue wearing your seat belt and get the habit stuck in your head year-round, every day, every ride, every passenger. What do you mean, every passenger? I thought if you were in the backseat, it was ok not to. WRONG. It is still illegal to not wear a seat belt regardless of where in the vehicle you are. Even though there are no reminder dings, bells, whistles, flashing lights: buckle up in the backseat. You don’t want the flashing light that reminds you to be the kind from a police officer, or an ambulance coming to get you. It is not just the individual’s responsibility, it is also the driver’s responsibility to ensure that all passengers are buckled in properly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), between 2010 and 2016 the Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report published 1/24/2018 states that a combined total of 93,273 lives were saved age 4 and younger in child restraints (1,966) and age 5 and older wearing seat belts (91,307). Additional lives that could have been saved if seat belts were worn at a 100% rate is estimated by NHTSA to be 20,602 between 2010 and 2016. Well that’s not THAT many people considering how big the population is in the United States. Ok, let’s play a game of what ifs. What if one of the people who could have been saved was the person who would have cured cancer? Ended world hunger? What if one of those people’s future grandchildren was going to discover a new planet? Ok, say for each life lost that was preventable by seat belt use, it affected 2,000 others. Does that seem like a lot of people to be affected by just one person? The degrees to which a person is known is numerous. But now, those 20,602 lives lost have affected 41.204 million people. That’s around the 2017 combined population of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (United States Census Bureau). If that’s not enough, let’s look at some hard facts our friends at TxDOT compiled in 2016 found on the Texas Click it or Ticket website: - Unbelted backseat passengers can become projectiles in a car crash. They can be tossed around inside the vehicle and can even injure or kill those in the front seat.
- Riders in the back seat who use lap and shoulder belts are 44 percent more likely to survive in a crash than unrestrained occupants in passenger cars. In passenger vans and SUVs, the likelihood increases to 73 percent.
- In 2015, there were 2,369 motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved unrestrained occupants who sustained fatal or serious injuries. Overall in 2015, 3,518 traffic fatalities occurred in our state.
- In 2015, of the 467 pickup truck drivers killed in Texas in a traffic crash, 216 were not wearing a seat belt.
- Wearing a seat belt helps keep occupants from being ejected in a crash and increases the chances of surviving by 45 percent. In pickup trucks, that number jumps to 60 percent, as those vehicles are twice as likely as cars to roll over in a crash.
Keep in mind, these are just numbers from Texas. With these facts, yes, you can get a ticket for getting caught not wearing your seat belt. But a much more severe consequence is losing your life from something that is so preventable and completely within your control. For child passengers, it is 100% the responsibility of the driver, regardless if they are the child’s parent, to not only makes sure they are properly restrained but that this habit is reinforced early and continually reinforced through adolescence into adulthood. We at the Kailee Mills Foundation want to see everyone #LiveOn. |
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#BUCKLEUP4KAILEE 5K GLOW RUN This is going to be a great, family friendly event! We've added children 3 and under are free, so be sure to bring the whole family, stroller and all! Food Trucks, Live DJs, Water Guns, Glow Bracelets, Black Lights, Raffle, and an opportunity to support seat belt safety! We know what some of you are thinking, and no, you do not have to run. You don't even have to walk it to participate and donate in the event. Just register and come out for the fun, food, a chance to win, and get covered in color! The event is June 23rd at Klein Oak High School. Check-in is at 5pm. |
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Our goal is to reach $100,000! We are pleased to announce that Anglia Homes has generously offered to MATCH donations up to $45,000! That means your donations go twice as far, guys! Deadline for sponsoring the event is May 18th! Please see items in our Wish Box at the bottom for items we still need donated to make this event perfect! |
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Meet our wonderful 5K Event Coordinator! Stephanie Baumgarte I have been fundraising for a variety of non-profits for over 9 years, but this one is very near and dear to my heart. Every member of the Mills family is so special to me. David has coached and mentored my son, Noah, for the last 3 years with Logan being by his side as a teammate. Wendy has become one of my best friends and Kailee was friends with my oldest son, Dylan. She would keep him entertained when all of us "old people" would be sitting around talking. David has a huge vision for this foundation and the 5k and I hope that I can help make it as successful as he wants it to be. We currently have 50 volunteers signed up to help put the event on, but there is always room for more so if you want to be involved come on! Contact to volunteer or donate: stephanie@kaileemillsfoundation.org |
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Mark your calendars for this fun event! The proceeds will go to Kailee Mills Foundation and Tyler Spillman Memorial Scholarship Fund. We will also be speaking to you at the event! Location: Klein Memorial Stadium |
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Click It or Ticket Campaign David Mills, Kailee's father, is a spokesperson for TxDot Click It of Ticket Campaign. This year marks the 16th anniversary of the campaign! The following are the dates and locations he will be speaking at these press events in May: 1st - Austin; Texas Capitol 2nd - Dallas; Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital 3rd - Houston; Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital 8th - San Antonio; University Hospital 11th - Corpus Christi; Whataburger Field 15th - Odessa; Medical Center Hospital 16th - Abilene; Abilene Regional Medical Center |
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Austin Click it or Ticket Campaign Kick-off Press Event Each pair of white shoes represents one of the 929 lives lost in Texas that could have been saved by wearing a seat belt in 2017. |
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Lifesavers Conference In April, Kailee Mills Foundation had a booth setup at the National Lifesavers Conference which was in San Antonio this year! On the conference website you can see that "The Lifesavers Conference brings together a unique combination of public health and safety professionals, researchers, advocates, practitioners and students committed to sharing best practices, research, and policy initiatives that are proven to work." We not only were able to introduce our foundation to thousands in attendence but also share our mission, purpose and Kailee's story to people representing numerous states and national companies. This was a beautiful chance for us to network and get feedback. We attended educational workshops ranging from Teen Safety to Adult and Child Occupant Protection. There were also workshops on Communication as well as Evolving Safety Priorities and Solutions. We look forward to attending next year's conference for more networking and educational opportunities! |
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Kailee's Angels We honor Angelica Melissa Matamoros who lost her life November 7, 2016 at the young age of 20. Her mother said she ALWAYS wore her seat belt and will never understand what happened and why she was not wearing her seat belt this one time. She is described by her family as an amazing soul who left an impact on everyone she came into contact with. Her smile was so beautiful and incredibly contagious that it would turn anyone's darkest days into a ray of sunshine and fill it with happiness. Her life was truly her family. Her favorite things included spending time with family, movie nights, dancing, traveling, makeup with mommy, shopping and most importantly, holiday Starbucks beverages. Angelica and her mom got matching tattoos. Her mom's said "To infinity..."; Angelica's said "...and beyond". She was full of life and had so much to give. She was waiting to turn 21 because to wanted to apply to become a flight attendant like her mom. Angelica is now a beautiful angel watching over us all. Please take a moment to think of her and to #BuckleUp4Angelica |
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Wish Box BuckleUp4Kailee 5K needs: SPONSORS 2 DJs for the KM markers 5 Portable Generators At Least 1 Trailer Generator Several Heavy Duty Extension Cords Big Ticket Raffle Item ($3k-$5k value) Volunteers Other needs: Website/SEO specialist consultations/advice Office Chair Lapel microphone for better quality video audio
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