LifeNet distributes Hannah’s Lights to local schoolchildren

LifeNet will be traveling to Garland and Hot Spring county schools Thursday to deliver Hannah’s Lights to grades pre-K through 3.

The Hannah’s Light program relies on community donations to supply local students with green flashing reflective lights to put on their backpacks to promote bus stop safety.

On Sept. 21, 2012, 7-year-old Lake Hamilton Elementary student Hannah Martin died after being struck by her school bus in the dim, early morning light.

LifeNet paramedic Bobby King responded to the call, and said the event was his “defining call.” In 2013, he started the “Hannah’s Light” program for Garland

and Hot Spring county school districts.

“After reviewing the incident I sat down and thought to myself ‘There’s got to be something that can be done that’s simple, easy to do, that can affect all the kids, and make it to where this doesn’t happen again,’” King said. “I researched some websites and other entities that tried to develop programs and came upon the idea of inexpensive little flashing lights that would be visible in the dark to the bus drivers.”

Tina Bell, LifeNet’s director of public relations and marketing, said the primary purpose of the program is to keep the children safe, but sending the lights home with them helps to spread awareness among drivers.

“So, on the one hand, look for the light, but no one waiting on the school bus should have to use the light if we’re all more vigilant during the early hours when kids are outside waiting for the bus, or kids are being dropped off in the afternoons,” she said.

“Stop for school buses. No child should lose their life because we were distracted. No child should lose their life because we didn’t see them. They’re young, it’s our jobs as adults to be more vigilant. Accidents happen, in Hannah’s case that was an accident. … But anything we can do to keep people more aware.”

Along with the lights, students will receive a flyer telling Hannah’s story and offering bus stop safety tips and instructions on how to use the light.

Bell said 6,500 lights were purchased for $7,742 this year. Partial funding came from community donations and from sponsors Farmers Bank & Trust, Windows USA, Allen Tillery Auto and Stephens Systems.

“This was the first year LifeNet had to fund a substantial amount of the lights, so we’re focusing more to get fundraising and donations back to help continue to support the program going forward,” Bell said. “And part of that is just because we didn’t focus on asking for donations the way we have in the past, but the community has always been supportive. … We paid for about half of the schools this year and the sponsors paid for the other half.”

Bell said LifeNet does not conduct the program companywide due to funding being community-dependent, but funding is less of an issue in Garland County because “Hannah was everybody’s little girl in essence.”

She said other communities can participate in the program as long as they can establish the funding.

Schools LifeNet will deliver Hannah’s Light to this year include Gardner Stem Magnet, Park Magnet, Langston Magnet, Mountain Pine, Jessieville, Fountain Lake, Cutter-Morning Star, Lakeside Primary, Magnet Cove, Glen Rose, Malvern, Ouachita, Bismarck and Lake Hamilton.