Kids are often a light in the darkest of times. Ann O’Keeffe and her children are a beautiful exhibition of this. Ann has a powerhouse pair of twins who love advocating for FASD. “Our advocacy started when their older sister, Starla, was still living and began with a PowerPoint I created to use with her school when she began kindergarten.” Starla’s advocacy work is known throughout the FASD community who continue to recognize the strength and courage displayed throughout her life. The twins and Starla’s younger siblings, Alex and Clara, have been deeply involved in this cause close to their hearts.
Alex has written to President Biden twice and received responses, as well as their city’s mayor whom he talked with about alcohol use. The pair have been involved in the creation of an informative PowerPoint, a short homemade video, and a People of Kent article. In addition, these kiddos took up the torch at a July council meeting where a proclamation was being presented, and Alex spoke passionately, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. This inspired Congressman Bill Boyce to reach out to a news reporter after the speech and ensure its place on the front page of the news. Excitingly, too, “The mayor’s office let us know that the meeting on July 18th has been seen by those in the New Zealand FASD organization and that they had reached out requesting permission to use this in their own FASD awareness information.” These kiddos are international legends!
This led to more policy action as the twins attended a congressional meeting with Adam Smith’s team about the FASD Respect Act and its importance. Ann says, “Following that meeting, the twins also wrote to another representative and letters to thank Representative Smith’s assistant for meeting with us.” It doesn’t stop there though, the twins attended another council meeting where an FASD proclamation declared September FASD Awareness Month. In addition, “Every time we go to community events that have police or fireman booths Alex in particular queries if they know about FASD and tries to give a bit of information.”
Alex and Clara also requested that during National FASD Impact Week, the FASD United group of affiliates and advocates would make a point to collect two business cards for them from the Hill visits attended; this would help spread more awareness and provide the twins with the information of our nation’s representatives. It is no surprise how meaningful Alex and Clara’s journies have been in the world of FASD policy and practice, these kids are amazing.