In the fall of 2020, Avery Community Volunteer Fire Dpt. Chief Gary Tucek reached out to LifeNet to inquire about purchasing Hannah’s Lights for bus rider elementary students in grades K-3 at Avery ISD in our Texarkana Division.

Chief Tucek had noticed several kids standing at their bus stop early in the morning and realized how hard it was to see them.  He remembered seeing LifeNet post about its Hannah’s Lights Program on social media, and he reached out to see if it would be possible to extend the program to Avery ISD.

The fire department raised the funds needed to provide 30 lights to the school district, making Avery ISD the first school in Texas where the lights have been placed to help make students more visible at the bus stop.

The Hannah’s Lights program was started in our Hot Springs Division after seven year old Hannah Martin was killed when the bus accidentally ran her over at the bus stop. The early morning darkness is one of the factors that is believed to have caused the tragic accident.

LifeNet Paramedic Bobby King wanted to do something to help prevent another tragedy like Hannah’s from occurring and came up with the idea to provide flashing lights for kids to wear on their backpacks while waiting for the school bus.  The lights are known as “Hannah’s Light” in memory of this precious little girl.

The program is funded in Garland and Hot Spring Counties in Arkansas through community donations.  Lights are available for other communities who raise funds to provide lights, like the Avery VFD did for the students in Avery, Texas.

Learn more about Hannah’s Lights or make a donation to our annual fundraising efforts by clicking here.