To my friends, colleagues, clients and acquaintances…

 Forgive the intrusion in your already full inbox in advance.  I know how busy all of you are, and how valuable your time is.  But, I need your help.  I have just heard this story about Alexa Foster, and I had to pass it on.  Alexa was one of three little girls born to a family in Nebraska, and they lived in a small town outside of Lincoln. 

The girls finished school on Wednesday the 19^th of May.  It was Alexa’s last day of third grade. As tradition goes, their private school had their end of year picnic that evening at the city park.  The city park is a very popular place in the warm months.  They have ball fields, meeting halls, a playground, beautiful landscape and so much more.

At the end of the year picnic, there is always a big water fight.  You know, the kind where you go buy the biggest, baddest water gun you can find.  You chase your friends, and you soak them.  Alexa and her friends were doing just that.  They were in the woman’s restroom, filling up their water guns for another round, when a cinderblock wall collapsed on Alexa.  Alexa died from her injuries on May 19^th, 2004, on her last day of 3^rd grade, when she was 8 years old. 

Most families will NEVER experience something like this.  Any of you with children have warned your kids about strangers, crossing the street, looking both ways, buckling their seatbelts and all those other things.  No one warns their kids about cinderblock walls collapsing.  This was a tragic accident, but there is something you all can do to prevent something like this from happening to someone else.  It is called “The Alexa Check”

You visit many public areas that you assume are safe.  Not just bathrooms, but pavilions at parks, walking bridges, playground equipment, crosswalks, common areas in malls and shopping centers, restaurant common areas, public beach restrooms, your schools, etc.  The Alexa Check means that you pay close attention to your surroundings.  You inspect the areas where your children play.  You go out of your way to visit the bathrooms, locker rooms, playground equipment and other areas where they hang out.  More importantly, that you ACT when you see something that is potentially unsafe.  Not only do you act, but you do whatever you have to do to make sure things get fixed.  It is the owner of the public area’s responsibility to ensure that the people who are on their premises are safe.  We cannot assume they will always do this.  With budget cuts, cost trimming, lazy workers, etc., there is too much room for error.

My guess is that there has been a time where you have seen something, somewhere, that was a potentially dangerous situation.  Did you do everything you could to make sure the problem was fixed?  I know I have not.  I encourage you to start by inspecting the public areas you frequent now, and report anything that you see that is not “just right”.  People may think you are a pain in the rear end, but it is all worth it.  Take some time to look around your house, your business, and any other areas you have control over, and make sure you have created a safe environment for others.

There is no question in my mind that we can collectively make a difference.  Nothing can bring Alexa back, but no one should have to go through a tragedy like this when a little common sense can prevent an accident from happening.  E-mail is a powerful tool. We all receive the same joke at least 8 times before it is retired for a short period, and then resurrected again for another round.  I can only hope that all of you will pass this around to everyone you know, in memory of Alexa.  The dream would be that “The Alexa Check” would become a national concept.  That everyone would know what it was.  That those in charge of public places would know that their level of accountability has just skyrocketed, because of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that are determined to make sure the children are safe.  Send this on to your friends, your family and your business associates.  Heck, you should even send it to the news channels, radio stations, parks and recreation leaders, local government offices, your senator, the president, and anyone else you can think of!  Let’s work to get some standards set, some laws passed, that govern the conditions of public places to ensure safety for all of us.  I know it is a sad story, but this is life, and now more than ever, I know that life is not fair.

There is a website in memory of Alexa, along with a guest book.  Please visit the site, and sign the guest book for her parents.  (www.thealexacheck.com)  Please keep Roger, Julie, Jasmine and Brooke in your prayers, as they travel down this tough road.

Alexa was a beautiful child.  She was full of life, full of energy and a true gift from God.  Alexa cared about every living creature.  Here sister Jasmine, on the day of her funeral said that Alexa would “freak out” if you squashed a roly poly (bug…).  At her memorial service, a classmate of Alexa’s gave a brief eulogy.  He and Alexa used to dig for worms together.  They played chase…the kind where the girls chase the boys, and then the boys chase the girls.  Matthew, who also finished third grade Wednesday said he would really miss Alexa.  So will her whole family.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, remember The Alexa Check, and thank you in advance for passing it on.