MARCH 31, 2020 – ABBIE DELOACH FOUNDATION –
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Abbie DeLoach Foundation (ADF) encourages businesses, community partners and local students to join their #handsfreeforabbie campaign by visiting their website and taking the pledge. Abbie was one of 5 Georgia Southern Nursing Students who lost their lives in 2015 due to a distracted driver.
The hashtag #handsfreeforabbie started in the Savannah and Statesboro area by Abbie’s family, friends and sorority sisters when the July 1, 2018 legislation was signed into law. And it quickly went viral. As our communities reopen and spring and summer travel plans ensue, ADF wants to remind everyone the importance of distracted free driving. ADF will work to raise awareness to encourage drivers to commit to end distracted driving.
ADF plans to help reduce distracted driving by sharing #handsfreeforabbie images and messaging on social media and encouraging drivers to make a commitment to drive phone-free by taking a pledge.
How you can help! The fight to end distracted driving starts with you.
- Protect lives by never texting or talking on the phone while driving.
- Be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is distracted.
- Encourage my friends and family to drive phone-free.
3 Easy Steps to Partner
1. Provide your organization’s logo, so we can publicly share your #handsfreeforabbie efforts on our AbbieDeLoachFoundation.com website.
2. Visit our website and download social media images and messages you can share to your personal and business social media channels and/or internal newsletter communications to employees throughout the month of April 2021.
3. Share the pledge and encourage your employees to make a commitment by signing a pledge sheet we have provided or on our website.
Social media images, pledge and sign-up sheet for employees are available for download here:
Handsfreeforabbie.com
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Abbie’s Story
April 22, 2015 was meant to be a day that five beautiful, brilliant Georgia Southern nursing students would long remember as they completed their clinical rotations. But due to a delay on I-16 at 5:45 a.m., it became a monumental day that included one of the most horrific tragedies in Georgia history. A seven-vehicle wreck caused the tragic deaths of all five nursing students. At that moment, their life stories ended, and the nation felt the heartache. One of the lost was 21-year-old daughter, sister, friend, and follower of Christ, Abbie Lorene DeLoach.
The driver who claimed the five lives, while injuring many more, was texting while driving. As a result of this incident and many others, a tremulous effort was made to enact the Georgia Hands Free Law effective July 1, 2018. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has referred to distracted driving as a growing epidemic. The statistics are sobering.
Everything we do at the Abbie DeLoach Foundation reminds us of the forever bond with Abbie and the four young women, Caitlyn, Morgan, McKay and Emily, who lost their lives with her that day. We will always honor them in our hearts and pray for their families.
For any questions please email Dana Whitfield at danawhitfield@outlook.com.
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About the Abbie DeLoach Foundation
The Abbie DeLoach Foundation (ADF) is named for Savannah, Georgia, native Abbie DeLoach, who was one of five Georgia Southern University nursing students tragically killed in a tractor-trailer collision on April 22, 2015. ADF was founded by Abbie’s father, Jimmy DeLoach Jr., in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The mission of the foundation is to continue Abbie’s legacy of selfless service to others, generosity, academic and athletic achievement, and compassion for all. It is headquartered in Savannah.
For more information, visit www.abbiedeloachfoundation.org.
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