Brooke Burdge speaking at her high school

By Brooke Burdge

On Friday, April 27, I had the opportunity to visit my alma mater, Communications High School, in Wall Twp., N.J. to speak to over 150 juniors and seniors on the topic of distracted driving. My presentation was one of over a thousand that took place in April as part of End Distracted Driving’s (EndDD.org) campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

It was a great experience to be able to help educate young drivers on the various issues associated with distracted driving. At the same time, it was challenging, since I knew the reason I was standing at the front of the room was because of my close connection to this topic– that I lost one of my closest college friends, Casey Feldman, as a result of distracted driving.

I opened up the presentations by introducing the campaign and explaining how big of a difference this program is making in just its first year.  I then gave the background for the presentation, and described Joel Feldman as the inspiration and told Casey’s story.  It was at this point that I showed a few pictures of Casey and I together, and let the students know my connection to this topic.

Brooke (L) and Casey

I was impressed by how focused and engaged the students of CHS were. They actively participated, answering my questions and sharing their stories.  CHS is a “magnet school”– a career academy that draws selected students from across the county.  Many students have long drives to school and to visit their friends from around the county.  I could see this was a topic that resonated with the students.

After my talks, a few students approached me and thanked me for speaking to them.  Some expressed their condolences for losing Casey.  Two girls even told me how they created their own PSA on distracted driving and recently submitted it into a contest.

The school principal graciously invited me back next year to speak again.  I hope to make this April presentation a yearly tradition. By continuing to share Casey’s story and raise awareness of distracted driving, we can help prevent tragedies from happening to others.

Related Links:

EndDD.org (End Distracted Driving)

Communications High School

National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

U.S. Department of Transportation Commends Joel Feldman’s Efforts to End Distracted Driving

End Distracted Driving reaches out with safety message (U.S.DOT’s blog article with photos and video of Casey)

Casey Feldman Memories

Casey Feldman Network

By Dianne L. Anderson

Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, dedicated a recent blog article to Joel Feldman’s (Casey’s father) efforts to end distracted driving through amassing some 800 attorneys and judges to speak to students across the country and in Canada. The effort was through EndDD.org, a website sponsored by the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation and dedicated to ending distracted driving. The presentations coincided with  National Distracted Driving Awareness Month –  April, 2012.

Casey Feldman in U.S. DOT public service video

The following are excerpts from the US DOT website blog:

In February 2011, the father of a young woman who was killed by a distracted driver sent DOT a video tribute to his daughter. Joel Feldman’s powerful video about his daughter Casey was the first outside submission to become part of our Faces of Distracted Driving. And Casey’s story has proven to be one of our most effective videos, capturing the attention of people around the world. …

Since then, Joel Feldman has not rested in his pursuit of that change. The organization he started, End Distracted Driving, has been a strong advocate in our fight to get drivers to keep their eyes on the road, their hands on the wheel, and their full attention on driving safely.

And, in honor of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, EndDD.org has launched the End Distracted Driving Student Awareness Initiative. This campaign seeks to educate students and other drivers throughout North America about the dangers of distracted driving. Perhaps more importantly, the Student Awareness Initiative gives drivers simple steps to keep them–and others–safe. …

End Distracted Driving has an ambitious goal for its April initiative: to reach more than 100,000 young drivers.

Within days of EndDD announcing the effort, more than 800 attorneys from across the United States and Canada had signed up to give Student Awareness Initiative presentations through high schools and civic groups. Joel Feldman says that Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) have been particularly open to hosting these presentations….

So I’m thankful that End Distracted Driving’s more than 800 volunteers are working hard throughout National Distracted Driving Awareness Month to spread the important safety message that cell phones and driving don’t mix.

Read the full U.S. DOT blog article here.

Related Links:

U.S. DOT  April 18th blog article

Casey Feldman, U.S. DOT Faces of Distracted Driving Video and Feb. 22, 2011 blog article

EndDD.org (End Distracted Driving)

 National End Distracted Driving Month

Delco, Montco and the Commonwealth of PA Establish Distracted Driving Awareness Month at the Urging of the Casey Feldman Foundation

Harry Huggins, The Observer's 2011 Recipient

With scholarship stipends from the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation, two students from Fordham University’s Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC) were able to attend the 2011 and 2012 Associated Collegiate Press  (ACP) conferences. Both students are staff members of The Observer, the student newspaper at FCLC, where Casey was News Editor at the time of her death.

 Casey was able to attend the San Francisco conference in 2008 and the scholarships in memory of Casey enable at least one student each year to attend this very informative and educational journalism conference from which Casey learned a great deal. The Observer won Best of Show both years for a four year non weekly newspaper and Best of Show this year for their website.

Harry Huggins, a native of Illinois and junior at FCLC, attended the 2011 conference in Los Angeles. Like Casey, his major is Communication and Media Studies with a concentration in Journalism.   Harry has been a staff member of The Observer since his freshman year, occupying the position of Opinions Editor for the last two years.  Harry has just been selected as Editor-in-Chief for next year. Reportedly “passionate about journalism”,  Harry’s  goal is to someday be an “editor … somewhere!”

In expressing his gratitude for the scholarship stipend, Harry reported that his time at the conference gave him the ideas and advice from media professionals that ignited his drive to turn The Observer into a modern online news source. According to Harry, “With the tips I got at the conference, we are now focusing on multimedia content and breaking news reporting to better serve the Fordham community.”

In addition to his work on The Observer, Harry  is interning this semester with MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews. After studying in London last year and copy editing the party newspaper for the Liberal Democrat party, Harry interned with MSNBC’s Morning Joe upon his return to New York.  Back home in Chicago last summer Harry served as the Community Producer of the Chicago Tribune’s branch of hyperlocal websites, TribLocal.  His passion for journalism however, extends back to his pre-college years where Mr. Huggins was an Arts and Entertainment reporter for his high school newspaper and the Features Editor, senior year.

An honors student, Harry was also one of the coordinators of Fordham’s Emerging Leaders club last year and an Orientation Leader, positions that Harry stated also “fulfilled my love of leading others.”

Jasper Chang The Observer's 2012 Recipient

A native of Staten Island, Jasper Chang received this year’s scholarship stipend to attend the ACP conference in Seattle. Also a junior at FCLC, Mr. Chang is an English major with a minor in Creative Writing and has been this year’s Assistant Sports Co-Editor of The Observer. Fluent in Cantonese, Mr. Chang is also an accomplished gymnast and has worked part time during college teaching gymnastics to young people.

In addition to writing for The Observer, Jasper has worked in NYC for FoodFan Inc. as a Social Media Intern where he photographed NYC restaurants’ food and drink items for upload on FoodFan’s social networks, wrote critical reviews on NYC’s cultural cuisines, assisted in maintenance and update of FoodFan’s Facebook page and managed and updated FoodFan’s Boston Twitter.

Currently the Editorial Intern at Marvel Entertainment in NYC, Jasper’s duties include reviewing and revising master scripts for grammatical errors, organization and coherent storylines.

 With an interest in broadcast journalism, Jasper reported that his experience at the ACP Journalism Conference was “certainly worth remembering”.  According to Jason, “The sessions I attended were very informative and gave me a different perspective on how to produce news, create multimedia content, and write articles. I thank the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation for granting me this engaging and informative experience that has deepened my understanding of the world of journalism.”

Related Links:

Associated Collegiate Press

Fordham University’s Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC)

The Observer  (Student Newspaper of FCLC)

Ryan Gellar (L) and Jimmy Donahue completing forms to commit to safer driving

By Dianne L. Anderson

The West Chester University chapter of the national honors fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, held the third annual Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation benefit concert on April 14, 2012. Over $850 in proceeds were raised for NOYS, the National Organization for Youth Safety.

Donating their musical talents in the ballroom at the Sykes Student Union were Ryan Colestock and the bands, Reservoir and The GoAround. Students paid a $5 donation at the door, and were able to purchase EndDD.org (End Distracted Driving) wristbands, keytags, bumper magnets and t-shirts. All attendees were also able to purchase raffle tickets for goods and services donated by local vendors. “Casey” tables were in place where students could view collages of photographs of Casey.

Phi Sigma Pi brothers don their "Because of Casey" t-shirts

Casey Feldman’s parents, Dianne Anderson and Joel Feldman, spoke to the group about Casey and the fact that a distracted driver struck her while she was in a crosswalk on a summer afternoon at the Jersey shore. Mr. Feldman took the opportunity to introduce the 3 minute video clip of Casey which appears on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Faces of Distracted website and spoke to the students about the issue of distracted driving.

Stated Mr. Feldman, “As Dianne and I speak with students in high schools and colleges as part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we are encouraged by the willingness of young people to examine their driving behaviors and commit to becoming safer drivers. This is the feedback similar to what we have received from the hundreds of trial lawyers around the country and Canada who are also speaking with students as part of the Casey Feldman Foundation’s  www.EndDD.org initiative.”

Joel Feldman gets a hug from Amber Staska, Casey's friend and former Fraternity President who planned the first concert in 2010

The students at the Phi Sigma Pi sponsored concert exhibited the same willingness and completed forms committing to specific concrete actions for driving safer. “Hopefully you can all talk to your parents as well when you go home, since distracted driving is not just a young people’s problem. It is everyone’s” stated Joel.

Phi Sigma Pi brothers and Casey’s parents will be presenting the proceeds to NOYS  in Washington, D.C. later this spring.

Related Links:

Photos from the 2012 concert

Phi Sigma Pi Alpha Epsilon

NOYS (National Organizations for Youth Safety)

Photos and videos from prior years concerts and traffic safety campaigns

All  Foundation articles on Phi Sigma Pi

Joel Feldman Speaking at the Montgomery County Commissioners Meeting

At the urging of the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation and Casey’s Feldman’s father, Joel D. Feldman,  the Commonwealth of Pa and Delaware County, Pa.  established April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.  A similar resolution was passed last week in Montgomery County. Casey’s parents, Dianne Anderson and Joel Feldman were on hand at the County Commissioners meetings in Delaware and Montgomery Counties to speak and were presented with copies of the resolutions.

“We all have to make a decision as to how we will drive,” stated Joel Feldman. “Will we continue to take chances, continue to multitask and continue to drive selfishly, or will we decide that driving distracted can never be worth the risk? It took my daughter’s death for me to change the way I drive. It should not take personal tragedies for all of us to change the way we drive.”

Shown above are, front from left, Dianne Anderson, Councilman Dave White and Joel Feldman, and back row, Council members John McBlain, Mario Civera Jr., Chairman Tom McGarrigle and Colleen Morrone.

Joel has been speaking to high school students over the past month and continues to do so virtually every day, rushing off after the Delaware County Council meeting to speak at Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pa.  “The students are so receptive”, reported Joel.  “The students realize that this is not just a teen problem.  Not only are they willing to eliminate their distractions while driving, they are willing to talk to their parents and encourage them to do so as well.”

The Delaware County Council resolution reads in part:

Whereas, Casey Feldman, a promising  21-year-old woman from Springfield Township, Delaware County, was killed by a distracted driver in July 2009 and has become a symbol of the toll of distracted driving; and,

Whereas, Casey’s family and friends established the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation which is dedicated to reducing distracted driving for the safety and well-being of  everyone, and through which distracted driving awareness presentations to more than 50,000 high school students are being given across North America, including in Delaware County, during April in connection with Distracted Driving Awareness Month; and

Whereas many of us routinely take chances while driving,… We…declare April 2012 to be Distracted Driving Awareness Month…. We urge everyone to examine their driving habits and promise to protect ourselves and others on the road by reducing our distracted driving habits.

Montgomery County. L to R: Leslie S. Richards, Vice Chair; Joshua D. Shapiro, Chair; Bruce L. Castor, Commissioner; Dianne L. Andedrson; Joel D. Feldman; Michael Monheit

“The bottom line is that we would like something good to become of Casey’s death,” said Dianne Anderson, Casey’s mother. “If we can prevent this from happening to another person, then we have accomplished something in Casey’s name and memory. It gives us gratification to know that Casey’s death would not have been in vain.”

Related Links:

Commissioners remember teen with Distracted Driving Awareness Week, The Times Herald - April 5, 2012

Distracted Driving Awareness Week to Begin Sunday, Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch, April 5, 2012

April Distracted Driving Awareness Month, The Daily Times- April 11, 2012

County Council joins parents of Casey Feldman to raise  awareness about the dangers of distracted driving , Delaware County Council - April, 2012

County Council and Feldman Family raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, Delaware County Council, April, 2012

By Dianne L. Anderson

“Through this internship, I was reminded of the difference that one single individual can have”, stated Lynette Schweimler, who received a scholarship stipend from the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation to intern at the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center this past summer in Boulder, CO. Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center offers safe and affordable reproductive and sexual health services to both men and women. Lynette served  as the Social Media Coordinator through the University of Colorado – Boulder PIIE (Public Interest Internship Experience) program. The scholarship from the Casey Feldman Foundation enabled Lynette to be paid for her full time work there.

A native of Germany, Ms. Schweimler will be graduating in May with a double major in International Relations and German. In addition to being “immersed for years in social justice work”, she is a candidate for honors in International Relations and is also a member of the German Honors Society. Lynette will be going to graduate school next fall seeking a graduate degree in International Human Rights with the ultimate goal of working for an international nonprofit involved in humanitarian assistance.

Lynette stated that her summer experience “solidified this goal beyond measure” and produced a newfound interest in health, making her more mindful of the number of barriers that exist in accessing competent health care, particularly for women, teens, LGBTQ folks and people of color.

Lynette Schweimler (center) with her co-workers at Boulder Valley Women's Health

While interning at the Women’s Health Center this past summer, Ms. Schweimler’s primary duties included maintaining the clinic’s existing social media initiatives, which included 4 Facebook pages, 2 Twitter accounts, and a Yelp page. Ms. Schweimler also installed a Yelp page for their Longmont location as well as  Seesmic, a social media dashboard which allows for easy integration of all Facebook and Twitter accounts, making social media use more manageable for small organizations.

To help with tracking the reach of social media, Ms Schweimler also created a system for recording “Insights” on Facebook, which included user demographics, page “likes” and a variety of other useful information. This was particularly helpful to the Health Center as Lynette launched the clinic’s first ever Facebook Ad campaign midway through summer. The clinic was thus able to review important data about the success of the ads in reaching male users, one of the goals for the summer campaign.

Lynette also researched cutting edge technologies for nonprofit use and to assist the clinic with its inclusiveness practices, including both mobile credit card scanning technologies and mobile giving initiatives. Ms. Schweimler was able to present her findings to the Board of Directors, and both initiatives were placed on track to be implemented within the clinic by the end of 2011.

Lynette Schweimler (left) at her summer internship

For inclusiveness, a list of recommendations was made, particularly around the use of language and pronouns and Lynette trained the staff on working with the LGBTQ community. She also assisted the Development and Youth Services offices in their work to submit a grant proposal seeking funding for a full year of intensive inclusiveness training for its staff and outreach to the LGBTQ community.

Lynette aimed to ensure the sustainability of the work she accomplished since Women’s Health has only one intern each summer and limited volunteers during the year. Thus, Lynette made sure her work was easily transferable  for others in the organization so that the advances which she implemented would be ongoing.

Humble about the extensive accomplishments she made for the health center , Lynette stated that she was grateful to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation for the summer scholarship since she gained a more thorough understanding of the non-profit sector as well as issues regarding women’s health. “I have expanded my own framework for social justice and my educational goals as well,” reported Ms. Schweimler.

Related Links:

Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center 

“Parents Making a Difference at CU Boulder”

CU Public Interest Internship (PIIE) Program

PIIE Awards First Casey Feldman Memorial Scholarship (Read the article on the Foundation blog about the 2010 recipient)

Chelsea Miller

Leticia Martinez

Taylor Hayes

Jamie Haller

Francesca "Franky" Navarrette

Chelsea Miller is an International Relations major focusing on social justice in Africa and the Middle East. Her dream is “to save the world.” Chelsea will be spending her spring break volunteering in Atlanta, GA with an organization that supports marginalized girls in all aspects of their development, attempting to break the cycles of poverty, low self-esteem, and teen pregnancy.

Leticia Martinez is a junior Psychology and Women’s Studies student who is interested in animal welfare and feminism and has dedicated her life to understanding alcoholism and addiction and helping others overcome substance dependence. Leticia will be attending the “Youth and Illness” trip to Florida, helping terminally ill children fulfill their wishes.

Taylor Hayes is a freshman double majoring in History and Evolutionary Biology and has been involved in volunteer work for many years. His hope is “to make this world a better place.” Taylor will be spending his spring break on an environmental conservation trip to Catalina Island, CA.

Sophomore International Relations major, Jamie Haller is involved in many causes, striving to leave this world better than when she found it. She hopes to work on education issues in developing nations, believing that lack of education is the root cause for many of the social issues in today’s world. Jamie will be spending her spring break volunteering in New Orleans, helping to rebuild homes for Katrina victims.

Pre-med student Francesca Navarrettelost her mother to cancer less than 2 years ago and has chosen the healthcare field since, although she can’t bring her mother back, she wants to “truly help people.” She has extensive volunteer experience and is a member of the student Equity Leadership cohort. “Franky” hopes that oppression can one day be eradicated from society and that our differences can be embraced, not just tolerated. Franky will be spending a week in the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community in Upstate New York learning about the tribe’s history and traditions while working alongside its residents on their fully sufficient organic farm.

Look for the upcoming articles in April about the students’ spring break experiences.

Contribute to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation so that other students may experience an alternative spring break.

Related Links:

University of Colorado Boulder Volunteer Resource Center (office which coordinates the spring break trips)

Casey Feldman, 1988-2009

Phi Sigma Pi -Alpha Epsilon Chapter has scheduled the third annual Casey Feldman benefit concert for April 14, 2012 in the Sykes Student Ballrooom at West Chester University, West Chester, PA. It is set to commence at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are a mere $5 at the door. Once again this year, all proceeds will benefit NOYS, the National Organizations For Youth Safety,  which has co-sponsored the YOUTH-Turn program with the Casey Feldman Foundation.

Live bands will provide entertainment, Casey’s parents will speak and local vendors have offered goods and services for raffle. Join us on April 14th or make a donation to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation.

Go to News and Updates on this Foundation site and click on West Chester University Phi Sigma Pi to read about the last two benefit concerts.

Last year had three winners sharing  $10,000 in cash prizes. In 2011, the  first-place award winner, the Howells-Clarkson, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Chapter of Howells, Nebraska received $5000.00 for their “Wear Your Seat Belt!” project. The FCCLA chapter created the project to avoid future tragedies after one of their members was involved in a serious car crash. Second place winner, the University of Virginia’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team (ADAPT) was awarded $3000 for addressing the impaired driving that takes place on the day of the Foxfield Races steeplechase event near Charlottesville, VA. Third place award recipient, the SADD (Students Against Destructive Behavior) chapter at Easthampton High School of Easthampton, Massachusetts received the third-place prize of $2,000 for their efforts in reducing teen driving fatalities. You can read more about last year’s projects and award winners here.

Casey Feldman was a  21-year-old senior journalism student at Fordham University when she was struck and killed by a distracted driver in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 17, 2009. Casey  graduated from Springfield High School in Delaware County, PA in 2006.  The Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation was established in her memory and is involved in pedestrian safety and distracted driving awareness education.

 Visit EndDD.org to learn more, to request a presentation in your area, or to contribute to help defray the costs of this program.

Related Links:

Trial Lawyers Volunteer to End Distracted Driving

 EndDD.org

60 for Safety