A love for child passenger safety - in honor of Kyle

Hi everyone! My name is Kris Abbink. I am a mom to 4 wonderful children, a wife, and a dedicated CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician). My oldest, Steven, just turned 10. My middle son, Joey, is 7, and my youngest two, Alex & Ashley (twins), are 4 1/2 years old. I would like to tell you a little about me, how I became interested in child passenger safety, and why I became a tech.

I love my children and am a full time mother, always on the go with the kids. They are my world, and I wouldn't have it any other way either! I always do everything I can to give them the very best and make sure that they are safe.

I put my children in boosters when they were much too young for them. Something that, looking back on, makes me shudder. My mind goes to the 'what if's' and I am very thankful that nothing happened. One night I was sitting at my desk, the kids were in bed and I came across the video of Kyle. I read what people were saying, to have tissues ready. I was ready to see a sad story, what I wasn't ready for, was that my life would change from that moment on. As I sat and watched this little boys life unfold up to the tragic day he was taken from this world, I learned that my children were not safe in our vehicle. I was thankful that the Millers found this information to share with everyone. Taking something so bad and doing what they could to make it have some good outcome. At that point I started researching the prices of these higher weight harness car seats. To my disappointment, these seats were way out of my budget. I tried and looked, thought and wondered. A few days later I went to the foundation website that I found from the video. I read about this wonderful foundation and how they wanted to help families get these seats when they couldn't otherwise get them on their own. I sat there, reading this and wishing so badly I could get these seats for my children. The day I watched Kyles video I lost all security I had in my kids being in those boosters. I turned to the foundation for help and we were blessed with assistance for our children with seats. This was just the beginning for me.

I was so inspired and moved by the kind act of the foundation helping our family as we struggled through our hardships that I wanted to be a tech. I started checking into when the class was and I was lucky enough to get into the class to become a tech. As I recall I was the only person in that class that was not there for work. Everyone else was there because their work asked it of them. I am not saying they didn't want to be there, but they were there for their job. I volunteer my time in the community as much as I can. I became a tech for the passion that was found within me upon learning about Kyle. I became a tech in the honor and memory of Kyle and for not only myself, but for the foundation also. Their message is so wonderful and strong, I wanted to be able to help further the knowledge to parents about keeping their children safe. Now I am an advisory CPST to the foundation, there to help anytime I can and loving every minute of it!

My hopes and wishes in my work as a CPST, both with the foundation and in the communtity, is that more children are safe and parents get the information that they need to keep their children protected. My passion and dedication for what I do grows stronger every day. I am forever greatful to the Miller family for sharing their sons story to help ensure the safety of others children, mine included. I am forever greatful to the foundation for helping my family to keep my children safe.