What better way to give back than recognition? As I began my journey to form alliances with local, statewide, national and even global organizations such as Safe Kids Worldwide, where I help promote child safety, an area of concern that continued to pop up on my radar was concussions amongst children. Do you know how widespread concussions really are? Did you know that the signs of a concussion can be detected early on and if they go unnoticed can lead to life-changing outcomes?
When I began to understand the debilitating effects that stem from concussions and how devastating the end result could really be if
a child or even an adult was continually “put back in the game,” it became apparent to me that something more needed to be done and that’s when the CAP Challenge was born. CAP is an acronym for Concussion, Awareness, Prevention. It’s my brainchild and I am proud to say that through further research, CAP Challenge promotes the need for concussion safety and also exemplifies what the signs of concussions are and how further damage can be prevented. It’s my game plan to have concussion safety be a staple component when it comes to student athletes and their sports involvement. I’d like to see a baseline testing established so that no more students have to suffer lifelong effects as the result of lack of knowledge. My hope is to equip schools across the country, through partnerships and donations, with 
concussion goggles that are used to simulate the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or body. As Mrs. South Florida International, I have formed a relationship with the Dave Duerson Athletic Safety Fund, who has partnered with school districts and is on a mission to save student athletes and the community at large from what can be lifelong if not life threatening injuries as the result of concussions. To find out more and to get involved I encourage you to check out capchallenge.com. This is a website I have developed to outline the signs of a concussion, to raise awareness about the severity of the issue and to assist in the prevention of more concussions occurring than necessary. We can make a difference and it’s our job to. Let’s all be #capsafe and take the initiative to stand behind a cause that can save the lives of children and adults. The CAP Challenge speaks to everyone and if we can all speak up than together we can all be heard.
