Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund

Grants: During 2023, over 270 young people began an application for a grant, and 30 completed their application for a grant from the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund (Hunter's Fund). The Grants Committee reviewed the applications that met the Fund's criteria and selected 13 of the most promising for funding bringing the total to 84 grants awarded since the program began. The Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund believes young people hold the answers to where the next great ideas come from, who will provide insight, inspiration, and hard work to create a better tomorrow. Young people are using their talents and passions to find ways to improve the world. Their dreams are of things yet to be seen. While we don't know what tomorrow will bring, we do know that today's youth and their ideas will be propelling the changes to come. Hunter's Fund invests in young people (16-25) who have demonstrated talent, experience, and passion. These grants reward innovation and provide support for young people who approach life with powerful ideas. Preference is given to applications in the areas of music, performing arts, computer science, and entrepreneurship.

EducationWith the organization's safe driving programs on dozens of campuses, print newsletters, website, blog, social media and email communications, and educational materials that reach young people, parents and those in the educational community seek to build awareness of the potential of new ideas and how recognizing and supporting these young people can help them become potential for change in our own future. Continued education of the importance of safe driving and reminders of the commitment those signing pledges encourage continued safe driving. Wristbands and key chain reminders were given to pledge signers who have shown to be a reminder to those wearing them each time they get behind the wheel of a car or as a passenger in a vehicle.

Safe Driving Weeks: Hunter Watson died as a passenger in a distracted driving accident just as he was to enter his junior year in college. Hunter's Fund supported Safe Driving Weeks on 34 campuses in 2023 resulting in 15,192 students signing pledges not to drive distracted. To help make our roads safer, Hunter's fund offers a turn key campaign kit to colleges. Over 1,500 student volunteers staffed tables in 2023 to encourage their classmates to sign a pledge not to drive distracted, bringing the total number of campaigns funded to date to 176 and more than 88,000 students signing pledges not to drive distracted. First launched in 2017, Hunter's Fund realized that student volunteers had limited time to staff tables required for their classmates to sign pledges and developed a campaign kit that can be taken directly to a table in areas where students gather, be open and set up up quickly so then can focus their limited time on getting pledges. Campaign Kits contain educational posters, table banners, scheduling rosters, pledge cards, wristbands for students signing pledges to remind them of their commitment, bumper stickers to spread awareness, and "I pledged" stickers to demonstrate commitment. Hunter Watson died as a passenger in a distracted driving accident just as he was to enter his junior year in college. Distracted driving accidents are preventable and changing behavior is one of the most promising ways of reducing accidents caused by distracted driving. Studies based upon seat belt usage and disposable waste have shown that signing a written pledge can effectively change behavior. Research also shows that per-mile-driven, 16-19 year-olds die in fatal car crashes at nearly three times the rate of drivers 20 years and older, and 70% of teens report using social media. Government statistics show that last year there were more traffic accidents than in each of the past 15 years. The loss of someone in a driving accident at such a young age can change the lives of their friends and families for a lifetime.