Were you lucky enough to grow up with that one special friend who was always there for you and just made you love life? For us, she was Caroline Found. On Aug. 11, 2011, days before the start of our senior year, she passed away in a tragic moped accident. Words can’t describe how it feels to lose this kind of friend, one so young and full of life.

There are countless what-ifs we could ask ourselves about her accident, so we try to just accept the facts we know. One is that she died on impact after her head hit a tree.

This led us to start Hope for a Helmet, a grass-roots organization pushing for a helmet law for all moped riders under the age of 18.

The Hope for a Helmet bill has passed out of the Senate transportation subcommittee. Now you can help the bill advance by contacting legislators Robert Dvorsky of Coralville, Dan Zumbach of Ryan, and Tim Kapucian of Keystone, asking them to support Senate Bill 37. This common sense law would protect inexperienced drivers.

Taking this simple step could save a life.

Caroline

Van Voorhis

Leah Murray

Olivia Lofgren

Iowa City