Rolling Purple Thunder ride over Skyway set to call attention to emergency notification
In honor of the 15th anniversary of TIFF’s Initiative (To Inform Families First), founder Christine Olson has organized the Rolling Purple Thunder motorcycle ride to complete a ride over the Skyway Bridge that her daughter was unable to complete in 2005.
On Dec. 7, 2005, Olson’s 22-year-old daughter, Tiffiany Olson, and her boyfriend were killed in a motorcycle accident. It took more than six hours for police to find and notify Christine Olson.
“If this happened to me, who else is it happening to? This sparked the thought of including emergency contact information on a state driver’s license, and shortly after I formed TIFF’s Initiative,” said Christine Olson of Bradenton.
With the support of then-Florida State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and law enforcement agencies, TIFF’s Initiative became an option for Florida drivers on Oct. 2, 2006.
Since then, TIFF’s Initiative has spread to 15 states.
On Saturday, Rolling Purple Thunder will be completing Tiffiany’s ride with motorcycles, Jeeps and cars.
Registration is $20 and includes a T-shirt for the first 100 registrants. Proceeds will go toward helping raise awareness about the option to register ones contact information.
The ride will start at the Bradenton Police Department, 100 10th St. W.
For more information and registration, visit https://toinformfamiliesfirst.org/events.
TIFF’s Initiative is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
