The Beginnings
1 Day for the K.I.A was founded off a bar napkin in Summer 2013 for a combination of 3 reasons: to address a need, to commemorate life, and to put leadership to use.
At the time, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had been on going for years and the nation was realizing its human cost. We were moved by the fact that over 8,000 children had lost a parent in the War on Terror. Most powerful, however, was that since 60% of these children were under the age of 12, our cause was one with a delayed fuse. We would not even begin to see the majority of these children start to apply for college and realize the financial burden as a result of losing a parent for another 6 years! In addition to the statistics of military loss were the poor state benefits provided by Ohio; while Nevada offered full tuition to the child of a service member killed in action to any in-state university and Michigan contributed up to $2,800 a year, Ohio only covered general fees. We recognized that there was a sizeable population who would need our help and due to the “delayed fuse” aspect of our cause, we could be proactive in implementing a solution.
While the objective need was reason enough to start 1 Day for the K.I.A, there was also an emotional pull. Working part-time as an Emergency Medical Technician for a private ambulance service in Central Ohio, I often encountered people in the few remaining days or hours of their lives. I remember being moved at how fragile life seemed, how quickly years of wisdom could vanish, and on a positive note, the love between people in the face of adversity and death. In the final moments, a common theme was the about-to-pass individual’s comfort in hoping for their children to live full lives and, simultaneously, the child’s determination to live in memory of that parent.
Time and again, this sentiment has re-surged in my life. Johana Rosa Santos, who upon receiving The Living Legacy Scholarship, told the “1DK” team, “My father was in the Air Force and passed away in 2003 due to mental health issues, but I strive to achieve all I can in academics in his honor.” About her career intentions, she continued, “I plan on attending a Mortuary Science school after graduation to pursue my dream of becoming a mortician, to help people in their most vulnerable time be put to rest in peace, just as those who cared for my father when he passed.”
While the first two reasons for starting “1DK” revolved around the cause, the tertiary reason focused on the team members themselves. The ROTC programs at The Ohio State University delivered strong leadership education, however, the curriculum lacked a real world output to apply those concepts. “1DK” provided and continues to provide a platform for team members to utilize vision setting, strategic planning, public speaking, data analyzing, and decision making skills to create real outputs of The Living Legacy Scholarship, the annual Endurance Run, the annual 5K, and other awareness events that all accomplish the mission of “keeping alive the essence of the fallen military member.”
To learn more, visit: www.1dayforthekia.org