Tampa Mother Honored With National Award for Safe Teen Driving Efforts

The Allstate Foundation's first annual 'Parent Activist of the Year Award' recognizes mother who turns grief into action to help save young lives

By The Allstate Foundation

"There is no greater love than the love of your child, and there is no greater pain than the loss of a child," said Marchetti. "I lost my 16-year-old daughter, Katie, on March 4, 2006, from a preventable death from not wearing her seat belt. Her belted driver survived with barely a scratch. My goal is to empower teens to take responsibility, realize they are not invincible, and wear their seat belts every time they get into a vehicle. An overwhelming number of teen fatalities are from not wearing seat belts in car crashes, the leading cause of death among teens. Katie is one of those statistics, and we live with that fact every day."

Marchetti has selected the Katie Marchetti Memorial Foundation to receive a $10,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation for her efforts on this important issue. Marchetti says the Katie Marchetti Memorial Foundation's mission is to bring hope to those who have had similar losses and to bring awareness and education to teens about the necessity of seat belt usage.

"Our hearts go out to the Marchetti family for the loss of Katie. We are inspired by Laura's courageous and tireless work to help other teens and families avoid similar tragedies," said Susan Duchak, director of The Allstate Foundation Teen Driving Program. "May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month and an important time for teens, parents and community leaders to recognize there is much that must be done to keep our youngest drivers safer on the road. Laura is a shining example of what caring and committed parents can do to help address the teen driving issue."

In 2007, Marchetti worked on several key teen driving efforts in Florida including:

    -- Creating the "Cross Your Heart Promise" program, an initiative aimed at
       getting Florida's teens to promise they will always wear their
       seatbelts when riding in a motor vehicle;
    -- Educating the public about the Florida Companion Primary Seat Belt
       Bill;
    -- Presenting "A Night of Seat Belt Awareness" at a Tampa Bay Lightning
       game in partnership with the team's Foundation;
    -- Helping to produce a public service announcement now shown in area
       movie theaters; and
    -- Supporting the "Battle of the Belts" competition between 18 high
       schools in Hillsborough County.

Marchetti's 2008 goals include further promotion of the "Cross Your Heart Promise" campaign and other efforts to encourage teen seat belt usage.

For more information on how parents can positively impact young drivers, visit http://www.ProtectTeenDrivers.com.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation. The Allstate Foundation partners with non-profit organizations on community initiatives that promote "safe and vital communities," "tolerance, inclusion, and diversity" and "economic empowerment." Teen driving and empowering victims of domestic violence have been major initiatives for the Foundation since 2005.

SOURCE The Allstate Foundation