NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jarrod Pritchard volunteers with Benches for Our Babes, a group dedicated to making bus stops safer after 8-year-old Layla Aiken died in a hit and run crash at a bus stop in Cape Coral. But he said he’s upset Cape Coral has more benches than other cities, like North Fort Myers.
So far about 300 benches have been distributed to stops throughout Lee county. More than 100 of those are in Cape Coral, and Pritchard said some stops even have two. He said there are only about 50 where the lives in North Fort Myers.
He spent Saturday delivering benches with Benches for Our Babes, but he said all the benches went to Cape Coral. He said that’s not fair.
“Not a single bench got delivered to North Fort Myers yesterday. Not a single one,” said Pritchard. “All that money had already been donated to these benches. So, they should’ve been split up evenly. You know, Fort Myers, Lehigh. We’re all Lee County.”
Pritchard said he doesn’t want the community to forget Alana Tamplin, who grew up with his daughter, and was hit and killed near a bus stop in North Fort Myers in January.
“Alana’s family had to move. Why? Because when they walk out of their house they look 100 yards down the road and they see their daughter’s memorial. And it would break my heart having to walk out of my house and see my daughter’s memorial.”
Daniel Webb who started Benches for Our Babes in Cape Coral said he and Pritchard both can agree on one thing. It’s not about the number of benches that get delivered to each city, but about protecting all kids waiting for Lee County buses.
“It’s ultimately about the kids. If I can get volunteers here to build these 75 tables right now, and have them all out, then we would do that,” he said.
Webb said it all started in cape coral, but he made efforts to share donations with other cities like North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres.
“The donations came from that area, and the requests had come from there,” he said. “But we sent them there [North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres], so that people would understand that we want everyone to be included.”
Pritchard said he’ll keep doing what he can to get more benches in his city, like continuing to build and deliver the benches on his own.
Benches for Our Babes will host another build next Saturday at 2920 Runway St at 9:00 a.m.. They’re asking volunteers to help build and deliver benches to bus stops throughout Lee County.
