Bring Work Zone Memorial to Kane Co
Donation protected
Help Us Bring the National Work Zone Memorial Wall to Kane County
Steve Chidester, age 44, was struck and killed while performing road repairs in a moving work zone for Kane County Division of Transportation (KDOT), Thursday, May 19, 2016. In a blink of an eye, a life was lost, worlds were shattered and in the wake of an inexplicable accident, a devoted wife, loving family and proud parents struggle to carry on. Steve’s loss touches everyone at KDOT, but also extends to the entire Kane County family. His widow, Lorraine, is an employee of the Information Technologies Department and an outgoing, bubbly, lovable troublemaker who is well-known to the 1,300 employees at Kane County.
To respect and remember Steve, Kane County Employees have launched an effort to bring the National Work Zone Memorial Wall to Kane County. The Work Zone Memorial is a travelling exhibit created in 2002 by the American Traffic Safety Services Association Foundation as a living tribute to the memory of lives lost in work zones. The Memorial travels to communities cross-country, year-round to raise public awareness of the need to respect and stay safe in America’s roadway work zones. Steve’s name was added to the wall in December 2016 and will travel with the exhibit as it makes its rounds across the nation.
The Work Zone Memorial Wall is scheduled to be placed at the Kane County Government Center, Building A - Auditorium from June 20 – 23, 2017. These dates coincide with the date of a regularly scheduled Transportation Committee of the County Board. A short ceremony is planned in conjunction with that meeting. In addition, Swedish Days will be occurring in downtown Geneva during that same week, which may allow some additional foot traffic and exposure for the memorial.
The hosting fee for the Work Zone Memorial wall is $1,500 which is designed to defray the ATSSA Foundation's cost to produce and maintain the wall as it travels across the country to raise awareness.
Any additional contributions over $1,500 will be donated to the ATSSA Foundation and other non-profit organizations promoting Work Zone Safety and Prevention of Distracted Driving.
This gofundme page is created and managed by:
Carl Schoedel, Director of Transportation
Kane County Division of Transportation
In consultation with Steve's family, Mr. Schoedel will make final determinations on the distribution of the donations.
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“We would love to host the wall here in Kane County to respect and remember Steve, but also to help raise awareness of the issue and prevent such senseless loss of life in the future.”
“Our employees are devastated. Many of Steve’s co-workers have performed the same duties that Steve was doing when he was killed. It is sobering to think that it very easily could have been any one of them.”
“For Steve’s supervisors, there is an especially heavy weight. When you send someone out to do a job at the beginning of the day and they don’t come back at the end of the day, it is a deeply painful event. Not that we could have necessarily prevented that specific incident, but it’s hard to be responsible without feeling responsible.”
– Carl Schoedel, Director of Transportation
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Steve Chidester, age 44, was struck and killed while performing road repairs in a moving work zone for Kane County Division of Transportation (KDOT), Thursday, May 19, 2016. In a blink of an eye, a life was lost, worlds were shattered and in the wake of an inexplicable accident, a devoted wife, loving family and proud parents struggle to carry on. Steve’s loss touches everyone at KDOT, but also extends to the entire Kane County family. His widow, Lorraine, is an employee of the Information Technologies Department and an outgoing, bubbly, lovable troublemaker who is well-known to the 1,300 employees at Kane County.
To respect and remember Steve, Kane County Employees have launched an effort to bring the National Work Zone Memorial Wall to Kane County. The Work Zone Memorial is a travelling exhibit created in 2002 by the American Traffic Safety Services Association Foundation as a living tribute to the memory of lives lost in work zones. The Memorial travels to communities cross-country, year-round to raise public awareness of the need to respect and stay safe in America’s roadway work zones. Steve’s name was added to the wall in December 2016 and will travel with the exhibit as it makes its rounds across the nation.
The Work Zone Memorial Wall is scheduled to be placed at the Kane County Government Center, Building A - Auditorium from June 20 – 23, 2017. These dates coincide with the date of a regularly scheduled Transportation Committee of the County Board. A short ceremony is planned in conjunction with that meeting. In addition, Swedish Days will be occurring in downtown Geneva during that same week, which may allow some additional foot traffic and exposure for the memorial.
The hosting fee for the Work Zone Memorial wall is $1,500 which is designed to defray the ATSSA Foundation's cost to produce and maintain the wall as it travels across the country to raise awareness.
Any additional contributions over $1,500 will be donated to the ATSSA Foundation and other non-profit organizations promoting Work Zone Safety and Prevention of Distracted Driving.
This gofundme page is created and managed by:
Carl Schoedel, Director of Transportation
Kane County Division of Transportation
In consultation with Steve's family, Mr. Schoedel will make final determinations on the distribution of the donations.
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“We would love to host the wall here in Kane County to respect and remember Steve, but also to help raise awareness of the issue and prevent such senseless loss of life in the future.”
“Our employees are devastated. Many of Steve’s co-workers have performed the same duties that Steve was doing when he was killed. It is sobering to think that it very easily could have been any one of them.”
“For Steve’s supervisors, there is an especially heavy weight. When you send someone out to do a job at the beginning of the day and they don’t come back at the end of the day, it is a deeply painful event. Not that we could have necessarily prevented that specific incident, but it’s hard to be responsible without feeling responsible.”
– Carl Schoedel, Director of Transportation
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Organizer
Carl Schoedel
Organizer
Geneva, IL
