Survivor Advocacy

When children lose their parents, they are called orphans.

When a spouse loses their partner, they are called a widow or widower.

When parents lose their child, there are no words… 

Central to Kids and Car Safety’s mission of keeping children safe in and around vehicles is the spirited devotion of survivor advocates.  It is impossible to find the words to describe the loss of a child; in fact (as noted above) there literally is not a word in our vocabulary to describe the most devastating and traumatic losses we work to prevent.

Kids and Car Safety was founded based on the work of survivor advocates.  A personal tragedy involving Janette Fennell (founder & president) and her family led to her dedicated career in injury prevention advocating for vehicles that are safer for children and everyone.  

Read how the Fennell family began their journey:

“The Power of Survivor Advocacy: Making Car Trunks Escapable” and “Channeling Grief into Policy Change, Survivor Advocacy for Injury Prevention” were publications both co-authored by Ms. Fennell.  

Kids and Car Safety offers outreach programs for families who have lost children or been injured in nontraffic tragedies.  Our organization helps survivors to tell their stories, advocate for safer vehicles, honor their child and channel their grief into positive change.  This program allows families to connect and help each other through the incredibly difficult grieving process.

Family Advocates working with Kids and Car Safety have been featured on national and local television programs and print media, as well as radio stations nationwide telling their family’s story to help keep all children safe.  Family Advocates have also provided congressional testimony and spoken at national conferences and press events. 

Our Family Advocate program has been and will continue to be the key to successfully keeping America’s children safe in and around motor vehicles.

If you or someone you love lost a child or know of a child who has been injured in a nontraffic incident, please reach out for support. We would love to connect you with our network of families and help you to honor your child. 

If you are a loved one who has experienced a loss or injury of a child,  we would love to connect with you. Please contact our Director, Amber Rollins at Amber@KidsAndCars.org or (913) 732-2792.