Life changed for the Richard “Bird” Gaunt family on the afternoon of June 23, 2020. Gaunt had pulled over to the shoulder of the road near Carlock, Ill., to secure the load on top of his vehicle when he was tragically struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck.
To honor Gaunt and raise awareness about construction zone safety, his wife of 30 years, Shannon (Aupperle) Gaunt, along with her family, established the Bird Gaunt IL Work Zone Safety Fund.
For the last five years, Shannon and her team, comprised of family, friends and volunteers, have organized five golf outings in central Illinois, dedicating them to her late husband. “We’ve raised about $100,000 in the last five years,” explained Gaunt, adding that she believes this year’s event will raise over $28,000.
Since its founding in June 2011, Construction Angels has provided over $1 million in financial aid, grief counseling services, and scholarships to families across the U.S. The funds have been raised through events such as golf outings, individual donations, and sponsorships from local and national companies, including Simformotion.
In addition to being a national sponsor, Simformotion has participated in the annual golf outing with two teams for the past three years. Support from corporations like Simformotion is crucial, as it makes it possible for Construction Angels to be the first financial responder for families who have lost a loved one.
“We appreciate Simformotion’s national sponsorship and participation in our annual golf outing,” said Gaunt. “When there’s a construction fatality, Construction Angels is the first financial responder. We give $8,000 to the surviving spouse and $3,000 to each child. We also provide $1,000 reimbursement for grief counseling.”
“I see a lot of sad stories come through,” shared Gaunt, a member of the Fatality committee. “We all vote, and then the office cuts a check immediately and sends it to them as quickly as we can. There are no other organizations like Construction Angels in the construction industry that help victims of construction accidents.”
Learn how you and your organization can contribute and support Construction Angels by visiting their website at https://www.constructionangels.us/.
