Jared and Angela (left) Jordan and Alan (right)
The Jacob Hefter Foundation is a local community organization ran by Alan and Angela Hefter. The foundation was started about two years ago after the tragic Metrolink train crash in September of 2008.
The crash was caused by the train conductor being distracted by texts on his cell phone; therefore ignoring the red light signal on the track. The metro link train then collided head on with a Union Pacific freight train resulting in the death of 25 innocent people.
Jacob Hefter was one of the victims of this crash.
Jacob was attending California State Long Beach to pursue his career goals in becoming a Kinesiologist. He was a valedictorian graduate of Palmdale High School and on the Varsity Golf team. He was very involved in medical programs offered at the school such as the Health Careers Academy. For his senior project Jacob organized and ran an Area 15 event.
Area 15 is a mock car crash situation showing the real life consequences of drinking and driving to high school students. At the end of the project Jacob made the following announcement: You think this was fake, but this could happen to any one of us, so we need to make the right choices.
Unfortunately Jacob’s life was unwillingly taken because of another mans decision to make all of the wrong choices while being responsible for every passengers safety on that train.
The Jacob Hefter foundation focuses on spreading the word about the dangers of texting while driving. Studies from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute show that a person receiving or sending a text message spend 4.6 out of every 6 seconds with their eyes off of the road.
The Hefter family and friends hold fundraisers all around the Antelope Valley to raise money for the foundation. The money will eventually be rewarded to students who show a promising ambition in the medical field.
Jacob’s mother Angela expressed that Antelope Valley College is a great place to start a career in medicine and would like to award the scholarships to students in the situations such as transferring to finish their costly post secondary education in medical school.
Some of the fundraisers and awareness projects that the Jacob Hefter Foundation put on is the Glow Golf Fundraiser, “Don’t Text and Drive” Awareness Day, and the Jacob Hefter Memorial Golf Tournament, which is held at the Rancho Vista Golf Course in Palmdale.
The first annual Glow Golf Fundraiser took place on Sept 25 at Desert Aire Golf Course. Patrons were invited to participate in a glow in the dark game of golf, decorate themselves in glow bands, enjoy a delicious dinner, and challenge themselves to putting while wearing beer goggles.
“Don’t Text and Drive” Awareness Day was established on Sept 12, 2010 and is recognized by both cities of Palmdale and Lancaster. This year, Chili’s Restaurant teamed up with the Jacob Hefter Foundation and held a fundraiser to raise proceeds at both Lancaster and Palmdale Chili’s for the foundation. Over 300 people enjoyed good food for a good cause.
The Jacob Hefter Memorial Golf Tournament is the foundation’s main event. It is held every year at the Rancho Vista Golf Course. In 2011 it will be held on the 14th of May and is scheduled to kick off next year at 9:00 A.M. Golfers of all skill levels are welcome and the entry fee is only $100 per golfer. Dinner tickets are also available for $25 per person.
For more information about the Jacob Hefter Foundation or to make a donation through PayPal, please visit the website www.jacobhefterfoundation.org
