Shared Sense of Urgency With Safe Kids Leads to Inclusion in Congressional Record

by Tim Wertner, SVP, FedEx Express Operations
Jul 30, 2019 10:00 AM ET
Left to right: Shane O’Connor, Communications Advisor, FedEx Services; Tim Wertner, SVP US Operations, FedEx Express; Alex Schnelle, Legislative Assistant to US Rep. Steve Cohen; Sabiena Foster, District Administrator, FedEx Express; Adrian Pomi, Director, FedEx Services

Originally published on LinkedIn

Did you know that unintentional injuries are the number one cause of death to children in the United States, and that, around the world, nearly one million children die of injuries each year, with countless others experiencing disabling injuries? Without question, it’s a cause that needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency.

It was my great pleasure last week to deliver awards luncheon remarks at the Safe Kids Child Injury Prevention Convention (PrevCon) in Washington, DC. I addressed the importance of having a sense of urgency about one’s work.

At the luncheon, Safe Kids had a surprise for us. Alex Schnelle, a Legislative Assistant for US Representative Steve Cohen, made a special presentation to FedEx, presenting us with a framed copy of a section of the Congressional Record including the kind remarks Rep. Cohen had read into the Record.

He recognized FedEx for our 20 years of support for the Safe Kids Walk This Way child pedestrian safety program, and for our commitment to global road safety. You may see his remarks in the Congressional Record here.

Our work with Safe Kids is also detailed in our recently published FedEx report: Road Safety Matters.

As Senior Vice President of Operations at FedEx Express, I’m familiar with having a sense of urgency about one’s work – FedEx delivers more than 15 million urgent shipments each business day. It was such an honor to speak to so many leaders from across the US and around the world who have the same intense, unquenchable sense of urgency about their work.

We never dreamed that the outcomes of our road safety work with Safe Kids would wind up being read into the Congressional Record! Over the past 20 years, our shared passion has led to more than 20,000 FedEx volunteers helping Safe Kids reach more than 17 million children in 10 countries with lifesaving and injury-preventing road safety education and training.