Farm Accidents: A tragedy every 3 days #KMF
Donation protected
Help us stop these tragic farm accidents by educating and raising awareness today! (Please read Kaden's story)
Unimaginable:
Kaden is my son, bright eyed, cheerful and a source of light to all he touched in this life and although he is not physically with us any longer...we know he is moving us all forward in meaningful ways. Kaden was taken from us at the tender age of 16! In our searching for the reasons why over the past several months, we have determined that none of the reasons will wipe away our tears or repair our shattered hearts. What we have come to learn instead is that it is our responsibility to search our hearts...carry forward his legacy...and commit to not allowing this senseless tragedy to continue ravaging farming children and families any longer. Even one more child's life lost is simply too many now that we are aware of how avoidable Kaden's tragic accident could have been.
Kaden was a kind and tender young man, fiercely loyal friend & brother, animal lover, talented and honored in many academic and athletic realms, an aspiring leader and active participant in his local FFA chapter and a spiritually deep, old soul. He was the youngest of his siblings and looked forward to following his sibling's footsteps by serving in the military and getting a degree in agriculture to eventually work locally in California in the field of ranch management, helping to feed the world from our amazing "bread basket" valley.
The Accident:
Working to afford his new privilege of driving, Kaden spent much of his last summer employed at a local ranch where he again managed to turn obligation into joy! He relished his work in the almond orchard finding pride in his responsibility of checking irrigation lines, pruning trees, loading harvest trucks & varmint control. He often stopped to picnic in the orchard with his co-workers and took time to soak in and learn everything he could about the industry.
Similar to most of his summer days, Kaden was up early and out the door headed to work on September 7, 2019. However, on this particular harvest day tragically he never returned home. Kaden was in charge of checking irrigation lines on the ATV that afternoon. After checking in with co-workers throughout the day he resumed his irrigation route when he must have suddenly realized an item had dropped off his ATV. This was a vehicle he was safety-certified on through summer family outings and skilled at operating. Kaden was by nature cautious and a non-risk taker. By all documented reports, Kaden was traveling at an appropriate rate of speed when he came to a complete stop. He turned his wheel to make a u-turn when the ATV flipped, crushing him. Kaden was in all aspects abiding by all laws and regulations set forth by our state and the industry standards...this simply should NOT have happened.
It is important for families to know how suddenly and erratically these tragic accidents occur. Kaden deserved more, the ATV industry can do more and we all can help stop this from happening.
OUR GOALS:
ATV design, legislation and safety guidelines are in dire need of updating. A vehicle intended for family fun and ease of farming work environments should not become a weapon capable of taking a child's life. This was my child's story but it doesn't have to be YOUR child's or loved one's story! We can't change the past but we have a responsibility to provide for a better future in Kaden's name. Since his passing we have promoted and contributed to the things that interested and inspired Kaden. We have organized an annual memorial swine project for FFA students, created an annual high school Memorial FFA Scholarship in Kaden's name and we have funded and arranged for a memorial bench installation in Kaden's memory to help beautify our local city parks program. With that being said, we know we can still do better!
We are asking for your donation and support today to move it forward for Kaden by helping us to fund and roll out a community outreach program that will accomplish the following:
1. Raise awareness for ATV safety in local schools, 4-H clubs, FFA chapters, among local ranches and farms through literature distribution, classroom presentations and signage that will illuminate ATV design flaws and provide for safer riding practices. This is a youth program mostly absent in our region. (Deaths exceed 15,000 in the US from ATV crashes to date.)
2. As an educator I will create on my own time early literacy opportunities in local schools by developing texts that can be shared by families with their children to raise awareness of the dangers and damage these vehicles can inflict on children. We will create appealing literature that will compel young ATV riders to make wise choices and encourage others their age to do so as well.
3. We will encourage and work to promote the use of after market roll bars on ATV'S that would have spared Kaden's life.
Help us be the change...thank you for reading our son's story.
Unimaginable:
Kaden is my son, bright eyed, cheerful and a source of light to all he touched in this life and although he is not physically with us any longer...we know he is moving us all forward in meaningful ways. Kaden was taken from us at the tender age of 16! In our searching for the reasons why over the past several months, we have determined that none of the reasons will wipe away our tears or repair our shattered hearts. What we have come to learn instead is that it is our responsibility to search our hearts...carry forward his legacy...and commit to not allowing this senseless tragedy to continue ravaging farming children and families any longer. Even one more child's life lost is simply too many now that we are aware of how avoidable Kaden's tragic accident could have been.
Kaden was a kind and tender young man, fiercely loyal friend & brother, animal lover, talented and honored in many academic and athletic realms, an aspiring leader and active participant in his local FFA chapter and a spiritually deep, old soul. He was the youngest of his siblings and looked forward to following his sibling's footsteps by serving in the military and getting a degree in agriculture to eventually work locally in California in the field of ranch management, helping to feed the world from our amazing "bread basket" valley.
The Accident:
Working to afford his new privilege of driving, Kaden spent much of his last summer employed at a local ranch where he again managed to turn obligation into joy! He relished his work in the almond orchard finding pride in his responsibility of checking irrigation lines, pruning trees, loading harvest trucks & varmint control. He often stopped to picnic in the orchard with his co-workers and took time to soak in and learn everything he could about the industry.
Similar to most of his summer days, Kaden was up early and out the door headed to work on September 7, 2019. However, on this particular harvest day tragically he never returned home. Kaden was in charge of checking irrigation lines on the ATV that afternoon. After checking in with co-workers throughout the day he resumed his irrigation route when he must have suddenly realized an item had dropped off his ATV. This was a vehicle he was safety-certified on through summer family outings and skilled at operating. Kaden was by nature cautious and a non-risk taker. By all documented reports, Kaden was traveling at an appropriate rate of speed when he came to a complete stop. He turned his wheel to make a u-turn when the ATV flipped, crushing him. Kaden was in all aspects abiding by all laws and regulations set forth by our state and the industry standards...this simply should NOT have happened.
It is important for families to know how suddenly and erratically these tragic accidents occur. Kaden deserved more, the ATV industry can do more and we all can help stop this from happening.
OUR GOALS:
ATV design, legislation and safety guidelines are in dire need of updating. A vehicle intended for family fun and ease of farming work environments should not become a weapon capable of taking a child's life. This was my child's story but it doesn't have to be YOUR child's or loved one's story! We can't change the past but we have a responsibility to provide for a better future in Kaden's name. Since his passing we have promoted and contributed to the things that interested and inspired Kaden. We have organized an annual memorial swine project for FFA students, created an annual high school Memorial FFA Scholarship in Kaden's name and we have funded and arranged for a memorial bench installation in Kaden's memory to help beautify our local city parks program. With that being said, we know we can still do better!
We are asking for your donation and support today to move it forward for Kaden by helping us to fund and roll out a community outreach program that will accomplish the following:
1. Raise awareness for ATV safety in local schools, 4-H clubs, FFA chapters, among local ranches and farms through literature distribution, classroom presentations and signage that will illuminate ATV design flaws and provide for safer riding practices. This is a youth program mostly absent in our region. (Deaths exceed 15,000 in the US from ATV crashes to date.)
2. As an educator I will create on my own time early literacy opportunities in local schools by developing texts that can be shared by families with their children to raise awareness of the dangers and damage these vehicles can inflict on children. We will create appealing literature that will compel young ATV riders to make wise choices and encourage others their age to do so as well.
3. We will encourage and work to promote the use of after market roll bars on ATV'S that would have spared Kaden's life.
Help us be the change...thank you for reading our son's story.
Organizer
Maureen Shamgochian
Organizer
Turlock, CA