The Kait’s Love for Jaxx Foundation will hold its second Slow Down and Move Over Walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at Arnold City Park, 1 Bradley Beach Road.
The foundation was created by family members of Kaitlyn D. Anderson of De Soto, who was six months pregnant and working at a Missouri Department of Transportation construction zone in St. Louis County when she was hit by a car and killed in November 2021. Anderson’s unborn child was named Jaxx Jarvis.
Tabatha Moore, Anderson’s aunt, said 164 participants have pre-registered for the walk, but people also may register from 8-9 a.m. the day of the walk. The registration fee is $30, and the first 100 to register the day of the event will receive a T-shirt. Those who preregistered also will receive a T-Shirt.
Participants will receive free doughnuts from Shamrock Donuts in Arnold and pizza from Bellacino’s Pizza, Moore said.
The walk will take place around the park’s lake, and the event will feature DJ music and three raffles to raise money for the foundation.
More than 200 people took part in last year’s walk, which raised $7,135 for the foundation.
“We are hopeful for an excellent turnout, and we hope to raise about the same amount this year,” Moore said. “We are exceptionally fortunate that Delmar Mortgage is sponsoring the event, so with their $2,000 contribution, we are already a quarter of the way to where we were last year.”
The foundation provides pregnancy medical alert bracelets to women, free grief coaching for those in need, grief bags for those who have recently lost a child and a sack of items to families who recently welcomed a child after the mother lost a previous pregnancy.
Moore said the foundation also provides financial support to families of Department of Transportation employees from around the country.
“There were six Maryland DOT workers who were hit and killed last month, and we were able to send each of those families a check to help with expenses,” she said.
Along with the walk, the foundation will hold a car, truck and bike show at the park. Vehicle owners may register for the show from 8-9 a.m., and it costs $25 to enter.
Participants in the walk each will receive a chip to vote for their favorite show entry, and the winners will be announced at noon.
Moore said the owner who receives the most chips will get a trophy and T-shirt, and the second-place finisher will receive a T-shirt.
Fellow MoDOT worker James W. Brooks of St. Louis also was killed in the Nov. 18, 2021, accident at Telegraph Road and westbound I-255 in south St. Louis County, and another MoDOT worker Mike S. Brown, 36, of House Springs was injured.
Anderson was 25 and Brooks was 58 years old when they were killed, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
A St. Louis County grand jury decided not to charge Stanley McFadden of Hillsboro after he drove into the work zone that left Anderson and Brooks dead and Brown injured.
In the statement announcing the grand jury’s decision, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said medical records revealed no alcohol or other intoxicants were in McFadden’s system at the time of the crash. His phone records also revealed no use of his phone while driving.
The statement said McFadden was diabetic. It said he was suffering a medical emergency due to a sudden and severe drop in his blood glucose level. According to several medical experts, his medical emergency resulted in a sudden loss of brain function, not unlike the severe impairment from heavy alcohol consumption.
Tonya Musskopf, Anderson’s mother, and Austin Jarvis, the father of Anderson’s unborn child, filed a wrongful death suit against MoDOT, Anderson’s supervisors and McFadden. A jury trial is scheduled for March 4, 2024.
However, McFadden died on March 9 at age 53. Moore said he likely will be removed from the lawsuit.
Moore said she and Musskopf were in Jefferson City on April 19 to lobby for support for a house bill that would increase penalties for drivers who hit MoDOT workers or equipment in a work zone.
“We are just looking forward to the future of holding MoDOT and the supervisors accountable,” she said.
“We are looking forward to moving the laws in Missouri forward to improve protection for our highway workers.
“It is a long fight and long road, and we are here for the long haul.”