(Left to Right)
Hsi-Pei Liao, Father of Allison Hope Liao (3/27/10 – 10/6/13)
Member of International Buddhist Progressive Society
Raul Ampuero, Father of Giovanni Ampuero (9/18/08 – 4/28/2018)
Member of Saint Bartholomew
Mario Valenzuela Sr., Father of Mario Valenzuela Jr. (2/3/2005 – 9/21/19)
Member of The Most Precious Blood
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Fatherhood was our greatest joy. As Ken Norton said, “Of all the titles I’ve been privileged to have, Dad has always been the best.” We put our hearts and souls into raising our children so that they could blossom and grow. We played soccer and baseball, made art, and laughed more than we thought possible. We combed their hair and wiped their tears. Every day we watched our children with wonder and our hearts grew in a way we did not think possible. We imagined that our love created an invisible shield that would protect our children forever.
But all of that changed in an instant when our children were killed in a traffic crash. Our beautiful children who had so much potential have been ripped from us and now we are left with only memories in our soul. We still smile at the memories but the longing and heartache will forever permeate the fabric of our lives.
We thought it could never happen to us until we learned that it can.
We are united in our grief and pain. But we are also united in our resolve to confront the complacency that brands traffic crashes as mere accidents.
Traffic violence is an epidemic that we already have the vaccine for. At this moment, when we are looking at hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths from disease, we see the corollaries to traffic violence. Our cities have largely proven that we are capable of acting on a dime — and taking dramatic measures to make changes on our streets and to protect lives. Our capacity is clear. We just need the will.
All of us in Families for Safe Streets know what is at stake by not acting. Like us, everyone in FSS has lost a family member or suffered a serious injury in a traffic crash.
We ask you to please join us on November 15th as we mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Please use your pulpit, prayers, and powerful voices, over that weekend and throughout the month, to memorialize those who’ve been killed and honor those who’ve been injured. Please join with us for Sermons for Safe Streets and remind your communities that it is up to each and every one of us to ensure no one else dies in traffic, that we are all responsible for each other and must slow down, pay attention, and support solutions that save lives.
Families for Safe Streets (FSS) confronts the epidemic of traffic violence by advocating for life-saving changes and providing support to those who have been impacted by crashes. Comprised of individuals who have been injured or lost loved ones, FSS was founded in 2014 in New York City and is growing as a national movement with chapters across the country.
info@familiesforsafestreets.org | familiesforsafestreets.org | 844-377-7337
