GAVIN...GONE Turning Pain into Purpose to Create a Legacy

GAVIN...GONE Turning Pain into Purpose to Create a Legacy

Rita Gladding

Rita has lived in Fresno, California, for over 38 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Texas. She is a board-certified Interior Designer in California and ran her own design business for over 30 years. She also marketed and sold several lines of women’s clothing during the same time period. She has been married to Gary Gladding for 50 years. They have 2 children, Gabrielle and Gavin (now deceased); with four grandchildren all living in Fresno. Rita is a community volunteer. She has served as Junior League of Fresno (President), Central California Blood Center (Chairman of the Board), Fresno Art Museum (Vice Chairman of the Board); La Feliz Guild of Valley Children’s Hospital (President); Hunters Hope International Foundation (Secretary); Gavin Gladding Foundation, Inc. (Vice President). As a two-time breast cancer survivor, she has been honored by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society as a candidate for ‘Woman of the Year’. She has been a recipient of the Girl Scouts of Central California ‘Women Inspiring Women’ award.

GAVIN...GONE Turning Pain into Purpose to Create a Legacy Gavin Gladding possessed a gravitational sphere for drawing people to him from birth. His stay on Earth was short. September 16, 2018, was the date that transformed the lives of our family. My son Gavin was struck from behind by a hit-and-run driver while training for a marathon. This is the account of our effort to push forward to establish enduring meaning for both Gavin’s life and death. Complicated in nature, this book begins by following the path of how the initial impact of losing a child affects our family. The early morning phone call: “Come to the Emergency Room. There’s been an accident. It’s Gavin.” Processing that statement alone was unimaginable. The driver of the vehicle that struck Gavin fled the scene. Other runners bear witness to the incomprehensible vision of the loss of a human life. The California Highway Patrol launched their most extensive search in Fresno County history. The initial five days were spent with an entire community praying for this driver to come forward. The tension begins to rise as the story becomes riddled with mystery and intrigue in conjunction with emotion. This manuscript weaves through the initial five-day newspaper articles reporting on the hunt for the killers. Subsequently the hearings to convict and sentence the three individuals involved took place in Fresno County from October, 2018 through May, 2019. Finally, after eight months pass, all three receive sentences. We take a deep breath. Gavin is a University of Santa Barbara graduate in Environmental Science. He was in love with our planet. He became a Peace Corps Volunteer to fulfill his passion to improve the environment. In The Gambia, West Africa, his devotion for working with children began. His life as an educator launched there, in a mud hut, with nothing but a dirt floor. This book delivers the special attraction he radiated. This is described through his own letters, along with notes from family, friends, and ultimately his students. The villagers of Charmen, The Gambia, renamed Gavin, ‘Abdoulraxman’ meaning, in their native tongue of Wolof, “Messenger from God”. Gavin seemed to be the deliverer of multiple messages – kindness, generosity , forgiveness, charisma and a suburb problem solver. From this he grew to be the best teacher and outstanding husband and father. His aura was astonishing lead by his goal to solve our planets spoiling environment through the voices of children. The story takes on another dimension as the establishment of two goals reveal themselves. 1) An effort to change a law in California that incentivizes hit-and-run drivers to flee the scene of an accident; 2) Creating a non-profit foundation to ensure the continuance of Gavin’s legacy. Our effort to heal and how to remember Gavin grew with this positive action. Our first goal is the importance of passing the newly written “Gavin’s Law” to make the streets of California safer. Stronger penalties are required. Hit-and-run drivers must be incentivized to remain at the accident scene. Our family spent from March 2018 – May 2021 struggling to push AB 582,‘ Gavin’s Law’, through both houses of the California state legislature. We have still been unsuccessful in getting this bill passed. Knowing politics always has a play in any proposal here, we are carried by a surge of support that sends us forward toward {repairing our lives.} We do not plan on abandoning our quest for a more stringent law. 17,531 deaths in the last decade have occurred on the streets of California. Hundreds of lives are lost in our state annually to hit-and-run drivers. Many remain unsolved. Buried deep in the book the fight we faced to achieve success for Gavin’s Law is revealed. Realizing Gavin will always be much more than a piece of legislation in California, we have moved forward with the establishment of the Gavin Gladding Foundation. This foundation will establish scholarships for higher learning and the support the San Joaquin River Parkway and Trust. Of these two goals, the first will take years to accomplish. The second goal is already wildly successful. We are carried by a surge of support that sends us forward toward repairing our lives. The Gavin Gladding Foundation has resulted in successful fundraising allowing us to grant scholarships to local students to further their higher education to continue his legacy. After returning from the Peace Corps, Gavin, from 2003 – 2015, worked to preserve our own northern border, the San Joaquin River. Holding a special place in our hearts for The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, Inc., financing for them became possible in Gavin’s name. The Gavin Gladding Foundation continues to be a major sponsor of the program providing capital for the continuation of summer camps in Fresno and Firebaugh, California. Trust, belief and hope propel us to commandeer strong actions not only for rebuilding our lives, but fortifying Gavin’s memory. GAVIN...GONE Turning Pain into Purpose to Create a Legacy is the formidable description of how our family fought to survive its’ loss. The dynamics of this powerful story are explained in this book. The sparkle Gavin possessed will never fade. As he stated in an appeal letter while serving the River Parkway, “Together we can turn our hopes into realities.” This statement exemplifies his heart while opening the door to sharing his story.

Mothers who lost their child. Crime victim. Femaies.

not too loud and colorful