Mission Statement
The Alec William Nelson Charitable Corporation was created to honor the memory of our 16 month old son. Our mission is to provide children in elementary, secondary and high school who have financial need the ability to have the same experiences as their peers; whether funding a fifth grader’s end-of-school field trip, purchasing a book at the Scholastic Book Fair for students who cannot, enabling a high school senior to have their portrait taken for the yearbook- these are only some examples of how ‘Alec’s Fund’, as the corporation is known in the school district, has impacted the lives of children.
These seemingly small purchases, perhaps considered insignificant to others, have a huge impact on the students who receive them; there is a tremendous difference between a child who has the ability to buy or do a school event and chooses not to and a child who does not have the money. Children have a psychological need to fit in, to not be different. With the aid Alec’s Charitable Corporation gives these students going through financial difficulty, they can be like their peers; they can get a yearbook, a plant for their parent/guardian at the Spring Plant Sale, money for the Science Review book necessary for an AP course.
The Alec William Nelson Charitable Corporation has been reviewed and accepted as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Contributions to the Alec William Nelson Charitable Corporation are deductible under Section 170 of the Code.
Thank you for your interest in the Alec William Nelson Charitable Corporation
LEGISLATION INFO:
02/14/08: The Cameron Gulbransen Safety Transportation Act is passed by the Senate and Congress, A St Valentine’s Day gift for all the children killed in or around vehicles. This law was five years in the making-five years of visiting Washington DC, lobbying Senators and Congresspeople for support in getting it onto the floor. It was a concerted effort by many of the families who tragically lost a child, a bittersweet victory as President Bush signed it into law on 02/28/08.
The law sets up guidelines of what needs to be done by 2010-brake shift interlock; where a vehicle cannot be put into gear without a foot on the brake. Cars n the past have had brake shift interlock, in some of the computerized models when the key was turned in the second position, you could override it and vehicles were inadvertently being put into gear.
Auto reverse sensors in windows-to prevent a child from being asphyxiated by a power window that goes up, hits a throat, a head, and does not go back down. Auto reverse sensors will, much like garage doors, hit an obstruction and automatically reverse.
And the provision dearest to us-the ability to see behind you when you back up.
Of course, we all played in our parent’s cars-it was a rite of passage to sit in the front seat of the station wagon pretending to drive, turning the enormous steering wheel. And we sat in the waaaaaay back, trying to get truckers to pull the air horn, making faces at the drivers ten feet away in front of our faces, ducking with embarrassment (or not) when they made faces back. We squished four to a row, seat belts optional.
But times have changed, there are more cars on the road, cars built of fiberglass, not solid steel, busier lives, a more frenetic pace, raod rage. What was done in the past is unthinkable now-seatbelts are mandatory, air bags come standard, safety features like roll bars, automatic fuel lock switches in the event a car is rear-ended, most people don’t think of the safety features built into a vehicle once there in there and accepted as a given.
We have fought to make backing up technology standard. It has been an uphill battle, but we were heartened by the fact that air bags took 15 yrs to be made standard. The statistics tell the story- highway fatalities have been lessened by %since the introduction of air bags.
The safety transportation act of 2007 has required the federal government to track the amount of children killed or hurt in non traffic/non crash vehicular incidents. The results were staggering. Over 100 children killed, 2,500 sent to the emergency room. This is why we have fought so hard to make sure what happened to Alec will not happen to any other child.
To that end, in 2007 we were pleased to have Alec’s Law passed. It requires any new or used car dealer to hand out an informational brochure that simply tries to inform people about the dangers cars pose to young children. (copy of pdf Alec’slaw brouchure)
We will continue to make education a priority. It is not a matter of not watching a young child , it is simply the fact that you can’t see behind you when you back up. In some cases, the blind zone extends to the length of most driveways- in some cars, that can reach to 60ft.
ALECS RUN INFO:
Every year since the inaugural race in 2005, Alec’s Run becomes bigger and better with more local merchants donating to it. For the 7th year straight, Dix Hill’s Bagels will generously provide runners bagels, and on board again for the 5rdyear is Spuntino’s in the Dix Hills Shopping Center. Owners Joe and Ben were approached the same year they opened their reatuarant for a gift certificate to be a raffle prize, and they instead offered a post-race carbo-loading Italian food buffet, included in the entry fee. They were “more than happy to be part of a great cause” and we are more than happy with the wonderful spread he provides as to the runners. Other amenities provided by generous merchants-John and Donna Marulli give bananas, Hans and Sharima Teufel donate a beautiful fruit spread every year. Water Boy of Hauppauge, Hahn’s Bakery, (thepotatoechippeople), Oak Tree Farms Dairy gives OJ-Modell’s donates hats, water bottles, socks, these are the businesses whose silent generosity help make the run such a success year after year. We are enormously grateful for all the support we receive.
The money raised every year through Alec’s Run goes to the Alec William Nelson Charitable Corporation, which is a registered 501(c)(3). Through the charitable corporation we support Hospice Care Network, an incredible not-for-profit organization that not only provides excellent end-of-life care but offers invaluable bereavement counseling to anyone who has suffered a loss. Their children’s program is especially helpful-giving children, the so-called ‘forgotten mourners’ a safe place where there very real but unfounded fears about their loved one’s death and their part in it can be assuaged.
Another part of the proceeds go to Alec’s Fund in the Half Hollow Hills School District. Although the district is viewed by many as being especially affluent, there are still children who have need. Part of the experience of school is being able to purchase a book at a book fair, buy a parent or a sibling a gift at the Holiday Boutique, things that cost only a few dollars, things that are taken for granted by most of us. There is a difference in a child who is not buying because their parents don’t want them to, and a child who does not buy because s/he is not able to. The difference may seem small, but it is enormous to a child, and the feeling of shame or embarrassment is not one that goes away quickly. Since Alec was a child who would have attended school in this district, our goal was to help other children who would not be able to enjoy what he would have. The school’s social workers decide where there is need, we only give to the fund and enjoy the knowledge that a student gets to feel like everyone else because of the funds donated in Alec’s name.
We also support Kids and Cars, the grass roots organization that has worked tirelessly to ensure cars are being made safer for all children. Through their efforts, statistics are being kept about the amount of fatalities incurred by non traffic, non crash incidents every year, raising awareness of the dangers posed by vehicles to small children. They are making a difference.