On March 2, 2019, Christine Olson, founder of TIFF’s Initiative, a nonprofit organization in Bradenton, FL, dedicated to providing emergency contact to the families of accident victims throughout Florida and the nation, spent the day at the Paws In Motion Walkathon. Olson hosted a booth to promote the need for pet owners to have their emergency contact information registered so authorities can be notified if a pet is left abandoned in the event of an accident or crisis. While this is just one way in which providing emergency contact information can be helpful, Olson believes in leaving no stone unturned, with the hope of ensuring that no one else goes through what she did when she lost her daughter in a fatal motorcycle accident 13 years ago. Uninformed for over six hours of her daughter’s death, she created TIFF’s Initiative (To Inform Families First) to make sure no parent or family member has to live through that hideous period of Not-Knowing.
This Saturday, not only did Olson make this service available to a new audience, she also saw her message grow as volunteers Jenny Morrison and Dolly Clements set up a table in Osceola. This Community Appreciation Day event, made available to TIFF volunteers after they met with Sheriff Russ Gibson about the importance of having emergency information, was especially meaningful to Morrison. Morrison’s husband lost his life in a car accident very near their home, yet it was hours before Morrison learned about this life-changing trauma.
If you have an upcoming event and you would like ambassadors from TIFF’s Initiative to promote their cause, reach out to Olson and her team at https://www.toinformfamiliesfirst.org/. While you’re there, be sure to register yourself and family members so that, in the event of an emergency, your loved ones will know immediately how to find you. It takes seconds, it’s free, and in a crisis, it makes all the difference. “You never know you need it until YOU need it.” ~Jon Stuart, TIFF ambassador