Foundation Impact Report

Foundation.ATSSA.com

You directly impact roadway worker families

Your support of the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation helps to promote roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness. The impact you make on industry workers and their families does not go unnoticed. Gain insight into the measurable impact of your support from highlights of the Foundation’s successes during the first half of 2025.

The National Work Zone Memorial, which is inscribed with the names submitted by family, friends and coworkers of people lost in work zones, had 20 names added to it this year. The living tribute now honors 1,653 lives lost, but this is just a fraction of the actual number of those killed. Your support by hosting, sponsoring or submitting a name to be included means that this Memorial tribute continues to help raise awareness and spotlight the cost of work zone crashes on America’s roadways.

Kids with activity book during Construction on the Mall

Our award-winning Work Zone Safety Educational Activity Book teaches children the importance of recognizing and staying safe in construction work zones. So far in 2025, the 32-page workbook of activities, coloring and learning, has been printed 2,342 times, downloaded 49 unique times and has reached more than 6,150 youths. The Foundation handed out 250 copies of select activity book pages to visiting children and families at the Celebration of Construction on the National Mall event, held May 14-16, in Washington, D.C.

The ATSS Foundation awarded nine students with a Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship, including one first-time recipient, equating to $83,000 in financial aid for the 2025-26 academic year. More than $666,000 in scholarships have been awarded to students since the program’s inception. Two-time recipient Taylor Lingafelter never knew her father, has dreams of becoming a dentist or oral surgeon and has found a community with the Foundation.

To directly show roadway safety professionals how much their help means to future leaders, two Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship recipients attended charity events held the day before the start of ATSSA’s 2025 Convention & Traffic Expo in Orlando. At the Foundation’s Golf Classic Tournament, Taylor Lingafelter of Sullivan, Ill., spoke to golfers about working toward a degree in biology and medical science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Lewis Lingafelter Jr., 27, was killed in a work zone crash on the Tri-State Tollway in the Chicago suburbs when his wife was still pregnant with Taylor in 2005. Megan Pirelli of Chicago, who attended Chamberlain University College of Nursing in the city while pursuing a nursing degree, met with attendees at the Sporting Clays Event. Megan was 20 years old in 2020 when her father, Mark, was struck and killed by a vehicle in a work zone on Interstate 80 in Wyanet, Ill.

Megan Pirelli with Sporting Clays participants

The Marty Weed Engineering Scholarship offers two spots for newer engineers with a public agency to attend ATSSA’s Convention & Traffic Expo. Laura Gibson with Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (LaDOTD) and Michael Perkins with Michigan DOT (MDOT) attended the 2025 event.

3M supports the Pledge Wall 10 years running

Thanks to 10 years of partnership, the 3M Pledge Wall has shown 10 years of impact to the ATSS Foundation. With contributions accepted from Jan. 1 through the end of ATSSA’s 2025 Traffic Expo on March 4, the wall raised $31,359, including contributions. These funds support the higher education scholarship and National Work Zone Memorial programs, in turn advocating for public awareness of roadway safety.

Epic Solutions Inc. offered a ThermoMark™ 300 Series Handliner and an accompanying 4-inch steel die at auction this year through March 4 to benefit the ATSS Foundation. Davies Imperial Coatings was announced as the winning bidder, with $8,000 in proceeds to our programs.

In an impressive outpouring of support during National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), two companies held fundraisers with funds donated to the Foundation. Heartland Traffic Services’ 11th Annual Strike Out Bowling Event on April 24 raised nearly $20,000, and the RK&K safety team provided orange shirts and apparel to their employees in exchange for Foundation donations, with 138 participants contributing $4,095.

The Foundation’s sales of Work Zone Awareness Accessories totaled $17,779. With our core purpose of promoting roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness programs, fundraisers surrounding NWZAW show widespread commitment in the industry. During the NWZAW kickoff event held in Raleigh and hosted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the National Work Zone Memorial was prominently displayed to underscore the real-life consequences of work zone crashes.

Memorial on display at NWZAW 2025 in N.C.

ATSSA chapters continue to support the ATSS Foundation by holding events and challenges. A notable event in 2025 was the second Crossroads Chapter Challenge: Great Lakes Battle of the Borders, held on May 8, hosted by Indiana and Michigan ATSSA Chapters, with Illinois and Ohio Chapter members also in attendance. The event raised more than $12,000 to support the charitable organization.

The incredible progress we’ve made would not be possible without the unwavering support of donors, supporters and volunteers like you. Your commitment is the driving force behind our continued success. Thank you for your enthusiasm and for making a lasting and meaningful impact.

Warm regards,

Lori Diaz, CFRE
Director of ATSS Foundation

Visit our website to find more information and stay up to date with the ATSS Foundation.

Foundation.ATSSA.com | 540-368-1701

Fredericksburg, Va.

The American Traffic Safety Services Association Foundation is a qualified 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions. The ATSS Foundation’s tax identification number is 62-1384292.

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