Enhanced Youth Leadership Development Program Launched

Eleven years ago this week Twin Falls resident Dot Kesling-Rosenblum lost her then 22 year old daughter Lindsey O'Brien Kesling (LOK) to carbon monoxide. She started the LOK Wishing Tree Foundation in Lindsey's memory. Prior to graduating from college, Lindsey had been a big sister at the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club near her college campus at Indiana University. When Kesling-Rosenblum reached out to the club to share the news of Lindsey’s passing, the seed of a partnership grew.

“Lindsey was a friend to everyone, but especially young people and those in need. Empowering these young people to keep their families and their own dreams safe felt like a natural thing to do to honor the work Lindsey had begun,” says Kesling-Rosenblum. “Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because you can’t see it, smell it, taste it. We have found that engaging these teens, educating them about carbon monoxide and providing the tools necessary to speak with the public about this life-saving topic is a powerful model. We provide not only the tools to run a successful event, but also an opportunity for these kids to make a difference in others’ lives which builds self esteem and provides an invaluable service to the community.”

Through the years the foundation has adapted and expanded the program into what for the first time this year emerged as a week-long leadership development curriculum in partnership with the Magic Valley Boys and Girls Club in Twin Falls, Idaho where Kesling-Rosenblum now resides.

During the week-long program, club members aged 11-17 received a diverse range of training and support in preparation for a youth-led carbon monoxide public safety event. Daily training lasted ninety minutes and each day's material was designed to build on what was learned the day before.

The first day the kids met Dot and she shared Lindsey's story with them, building the bridge between the organization's mission and Lindsey's personal connection with being a big sister. The following day the kids met with Kesling-Rosenblum's nephew, Timmy Barron, a Chicago-based actor, comedian and improv coach. Barron met with the kids via Zoom, coaching them on building their confidence and building their comfort level engaging the public on carbon monoxide safety, an unfamiliar subject for them and likely for the public as well.

Next the kids met with Twin Falls Fire Marshall Tim Lauda to learn about the specifics of carbon monoxide, including becoming familiar with how a CO alarm works and take home a free CO alarm upon successful completion. The next day the kids created posters to use in the event the following day and also had a chance to meet LOK BGC alum Charlie Brown, now an adult. Charlie shared with club members how when he was their age he had been quite shy but engaging the public in a similar CO safety event showed him he could help save lives and that gave him confidence to conquer his discomfort and even began to enjoy his chance to shine as a leader.

The day of the program, a new generation of youth leaders distributed information about carbon monoxide to people in their communities and handed out free CO alarms to families in need, courtesy of First Alert, a leader in residential fire and carbon monoxide detection devices.

It is our goal for this curriculum to be used by all Boys and Girls Clubs. It builds club members' self esteem while simultanously building their leadership skills and providing a potentially life-saving service to the community. Empowering the next generation to learn about the dangers of carbon monoxide is essential, as many states don’t require CO alarms in homes and rentals.

We hope you enjoy the video below showing the kids' excitement the day before the big event!

Please contact us if you work with a youth organization that is interested in participating.