Once upon a time in a corrupt world full of drunk drivers, criminals, drugs and alcohol, there lived a sweet young woman who did nothing wrong. She lived in a small town in Pennsylvania called Birdsboro. Her name was Emily. Emily's parents divorced when she was young. Her mom was very busy, so she couldn't take Emily to different activities. Although she didn't have her own ride, Emily always managed to get where she needed to go. Mostly she depended on two families. Even though these families were busy running their own kids here and there, they didn't mind taking Emily places too.

Emily was pretty, popular, talented, athletic and very active. She was in Girl Scouts, jazz band, show choir, field hockey, softball, student council, and more.

Emily attended every activity until June 19th, 1996 when she and a friend decided to ride their bicycles to the mall. Neither was wearing a helmet. On the way home Emily swerved into traffic and was hit by a car. She was put on life support, but soon died from severe brain damage.

That summer the kids at her school got together to remember the happy times we had with our dear friend. When school began, there were a lot of tears, but then we all realized that she was now in a better place.

So, my message to all of you is: wear a helmet, no matter how cool (or uncool) you look wearing one. Just think, the girl in this story could be you.