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Arlington family fulfills mothers dream after her death

Arlington family fulfills mothers dream after her death

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA9) — Every mother has likely been there. You’re leaning into the car, trying to quickly buckle up the kids as traffic drives by. That everyday routine cost one Arlington mother her life when a dump truck struck and killed 39-year-old Jennifer Lawson in February 2014.

Now, Neal Lawson and the family are fulfilling her dream.

Each school day starts like your average busy household with young children. Dad criss-crosses the house gathering up 7-year old Cooper, 6-yearold Booker, and 4-year-old Sadie, who was just two-and-a-half when mommy was killed buckling her in to the car seat.

“Last thing she does before bed every night is she has two little pictures above her dresser and she kisses and hugs both and says goodnight to mommy before we put her down,” said Lawson.

It’s been a tough journey filled with counseling, tears, anger and lots of love and support. Neal’s parents stayed for year and now a nanny helps with the morning routine.

“Every morning when they climb into my bed nice and early there’s that moment when I wish I was still asleep, but it’s a blessing to have those three beautiful children as a reflection of her for me to hold and touch today while we remember the amazing person she was,” he said.

Jennifer Bush-Lawson was an artist, an athlete, a mother and a giver; just beginning to donate to new mothers in need of medical care. It’s a vision she started years ago, a dream her family is now fulfilling in the first annual 5k and family fun day in her memory. Neal won’t take credit for doing it all, but Jennifer would be proud.

The race steps off at 8 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus on Little Falls Road in Arlington Saturday, Nov. 21st. The family fun day features moon bounces, face painting, obstacle courses and a beer garden. All proceeds benefit the Jennifer Bush Lawson Memorial Foundation and provides pre-natal and post-natal services to mothers in need through the Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington Pediatric Center. To register or learn more click here: http://jenniferbushlawsonfoundation.org.


Read the the full story and see the interview here: http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/2015/11/18/arlington-family-lawson-death-dump-truck/75987886/

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Husband honors late wife with amazing foundation: The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Husband honors late wife with amazing foundation: The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Neal and Jennifer Lawson used to talk about how blessed they were.

After 13 years of marriage, they had a happy home in Arlington, with three thriving children: Cooper, Booker, and Sadie.

“She was an incredible mother, ” said Neal of Jenn. “The best I’d ever seen. She poured her heart and soul into it.”

Life as they loved it changed for the Lawsons on February 24, 2014, when a passing dump truck caught the door of Jenn’s minivan as she strapped in Sadie, who was just two years old. The impact knocked Jenn to the ground and ultimately took her life.

Police investigated the accident and looked for every possible distraction. Was the driver texting? No. Was he impaired? No. In the end, his rig was too wide for the narrow lane in front of Nottingham Elementary school, and he was charged with failure to pay full attention. He expressed remorse before a judge and spent 6 days in jail.

Even though every day Neal has to drive his children by a small angel statue that marks the place where the tragic accident happened, he does not dwell on the sudden and brutally unfair end to her life. Instead, he is focused on bringing fairness to families at the beginning of theirs.


Read the the full story and see the interview here: http://wjla.com/news/local/husband-honors-late-wife-with-an-amazing-foundation-the-jennifer-bush-lawson-foundation

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Announces Appointment of First Executive Director

JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ARLINGTON | October 5, 2015 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (“JB-LF”), a non-profit organization aimed at creating access to quality prenatal and postnatal care for economically vulnerable mothers and babies in Arlington, VA, has announced the appointment of Ashley Donnelly Leonard as its first executive director.  Ashley will be integral in leading the organization’s first major fundraising effort – the inaugural Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Memorial 5K and Family Fun Day on Saturday, November 21. http://jenniferbushlawsonfoundation.org/programs/5k-memorial

“We are very pleased to welcome Ashley to the JB-LF,” reported Neal Lawson, Founder and Board Chair.  “Ashley will bring leadership, organization and creativity to our fundraising efforts and a deep sense of commitment to our mission.  The addition of professional management to the JB-LF gives us the opportunity to pursue growth and maximize the impact to our mission.”

Ashley has spent the last seven years as a pro bono consultant to Washington area non-profit organizations, providing strategic planning, marketing, board development, and financial advice.  She currently sits on the board of Girls on the Run-DC and has served as their Treasurer.  In addition, her diverse experience includes investment banking, program and general management, new ventures development, event planning, and human capital training, management and acquisition.  Ashley holds a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Darden School of Business.

“I am honored and excited to serve in this new role,” remarks Ashley.  “As a mother of three, I understand and deeply appreciate the necessity of regular, quality prenatal and postnatal care to get families off to the best possible start. The JB-LF’s unique partnership with the Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington Pediatric Center puts the organization in an excellent position to make a significant impact in the early health of Arlington’s economically vulnerable children.”

Established in December 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Founded in the belief that every mother and every child deserve important healthcare services for a healthy start in life, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation provides access to medical services, counseling and support for economically vulnerable mothers-to-be, newborn babies and postpartum mothers who don’t have the means or resources to start their journey on solid footing. Jennifer Bush-Lawson dedicated her life to her children and to being the best mother possible. She believed that every mother – regardless of race, color, creed, or economic status – should have an opportunity to do the same.

Website:
http://jenniferbushlawsonfoundation.org

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JenniferBushLawsonFoundation

Contacts:
Neal Lawson
Founder and Chair, Board of Directors
Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation
neal@jb-lf.org

Ashley Donnelly Leonard
Executive Director
Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation
Ashley@jb-lf.org

 

 

‘Mommy was in an accident’: A family tries to heal after a fatal tragedy

Washington Post Article by Matt Zapotosky, March 1, 2015
‘Mommy was in an accident’: A family tries to heal after a fatal tragedy

When Sadie Lawson spots her dad on his computer or phone, the 3-year-old will sometimes hop onto his lap with a simple request: “I want to see Mommy.” Together, she and Neal Lawson scroll through the pictures — Mom at the beach, Mom in her wedding dress, Mom helping her children carve pumpkins — their moods instantly uplifted by the memories.

About a year ago, Jennifer Lawson had just loaded Sadie into her minivan outside of Arlington’s Nottingham Elementary School when a passing dump truck hit her — a grisly crash that left three children without their supermom. Neal Lawson, 42, said he told his kids that night what had happened: “Mommy was in an accident and was killed, and the doctors did everything they could but she didn’t make it.”


Read the the full story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/her-love-lives-on-family-friends-recall-va-woman-killed-outside-school/2015/03/01/00cc5f66-bc48-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html

Foundation Created in Memory of Va. Mother Killed in Tragic Accident

CBS Local Article by Chuck Carroll, February 25, 2015
Foundation Created in Memory of Va. Mother Killed in Tragic Accident

ARLINGTON, Va. (WNEW) — It’s been more than a year since an Arlington woman was struck and killed by a dump truck as she was putting her child into the car.

Now, her grieving husband is honoring her legacy by helping the most precious lives.

It was a dream that began before Jennifer Bush-Lawson’s life suddenly ended in front of an elementary school in February of last year. Her husband Neil Lawson says she felt a calling to help.


Read the the full story here: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/foundation-created-in-memory-of-va-mother-killed-in-tragic-accident/

Foundation Started in Memory of Nottingham Crash Victim

Arlington Now Article by Ethan Rothstein, February 25, 2015
Foundation Started in Memory of Nottingham Crash Victim

On the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death in a car accident in front of Nottingham Elementary School, Neal Lawson launched a foundation in her honor.

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation formally launched yesterday with a mission, according to a press release, of providing funding for “access to medical services, counseling and support for economically vulnerable mothers-to-be, newborn babies and postpartum mothers who don’t have the means or resources to start their journey on solid footing.”


Read the the full story here: http://www.arlnow.com/2015/02/25/foundation-started-in-memory-of-nottingham-es-crash-victim/

Foundation Launched in Memory of Arlington Mother Killed in Tragic Vehicle Accident

FOUNDATION LAUNCHED IN MEMORY OF ARLINGTON MOTHER KILLED IN TRAGIC VEHICLE ACCIDENT
Foundation to Help Mothers in Need of Prenatal and Postnatal Care 

ARLINGTON | February 24, 2015 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF) today announced its formal launch on the one year anniversary of her passing at a memorial service in her honor.   Jennifer Lawson passed away on February 24, 2014 in a tragic accident when she was struck by a passing dump truck while loading her youngest child into her car seat in front of her son’s school.  Neal Lawson, husband and father of their three children has founded the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (www.jb-lf.org) to honor the incredible mother and person Jennifer was and her passion for ensuring access quality prenatal and postnatal care for mothers and infants.

The JB-LF is built on the belief that every mother and every child deserves equal access to prenatal and postnatal healthcare services in order to ensure a healthy start in life.  Despite being an accomplished athlete living a healthy lifestyle, Lawson struggled with difficult pregnancies and premature births, but was fortunate to have excellent healthcare that resulted in the healthy recoveries for all three of her children.

The JB-LF provides funding for access to medical services, counseling and support for economically vulnerable mothers-to-be, newborn babies and postpartum mothers who don’t have the means or resources to start their journey on solid footing.  Lawson dedicated her life to her children and to being the best mother possible. She believed that every mother – regardless of race, color, creed, or economic status – should have an opportunity to do the same.

“Jennifer was an amazing wife, mother and woman. There is no better way to honor her memory than providing mothers-to-be the opportunity to be the best mother possible and providing newborn babies a healthy start at life,” said JB-LF Founder Neal Lawson.

Virginia Hospital Center Foundation and Arlington Pediatric Center are key strategic partners in carrying out the vision of the JB-LF.  With generous support from community members, JB-LF has already supported families in the Arlington community by funding prenatal care for expectant mothers as well as well-child exams and specialty care for the newborn infants of economically vulnerable mothers.

Arlington mother of 3 killed in crash loading youngest daughter into car seat

Washington Post Article by Matt Zapotosky and Patrick Svitek, February 25, 2014
Arlington mother of 3 killed in crash loading youngest daughter into car seat

To her friends, Jennifer Lawson was an Arlington everymom — a supermom, really — who poured what seemed like an endless store of energy into raising her three kids.

She took them on vacations, volunteered at her oldest child’s school, and even sometimes popped back in to the public affairs office where she used to work so she could show off her beloved trio.

“They were everything to her,” said John Schmidt, a friend and former co-worker.


Read the the full story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/arlington-va-mother-of-3-killed-in-crash-loading-youngest-daughter-into-car-seat/2014/02/25/562e7086-9e5b-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html