St. Louis Businesswoman Receives National Award

O FALLON, Mo. - March 30, 2017 - PRLog -- Keeping Us Safe is proud to announce that Vicki Spraul, B.A., is the recipient of the 2016 "Bill and Betty Fresch Outstanding Achievement Award".

A St. Louis resident, Spraul received her original certification in the "Beyond Driving with Dignity" program in December, 2014.  She holds a bachelor's degree in business and is the founder of Gray Matters Alliance (http://www.graymattersalliance.com/), an organization created to help keep seniors throughout the greater St. Louis area safe, connected and respected.


"The compassion, empathy and tact that Vicki displays while helping older drivers with diminished skills make a smooth retirement from driving are what have made her so successful in the "Beyond Driving with Dignity" program." says Matt Gurwell, founder of Keeping Us Safe.  "She is a great asset to our team but more importantly, she is providing an exceptional service to the greater St. Louis community."  Gurwell adds.

Keeping Us Safe is a national organization that provides practical, real-life solutions to older drivers and their families throughout the United States.  Its 'Beyond Driving with Dignity' program is designed to save lives while simultaneously helping to ease the burden of the family as they find themselves faced with the very challenging issue of an elderly parent's diminishing driving skills.

As a "Beyond Driving with Dignity" Professional, Vicki serves as a facilitator for Keeping Us Safe's 'self-assessment program' for older drivers.  This individualized program serves as a valuable tool in helping older drivers (and their families) make appropriate decisions regarding the future of one's safe driving career.

The 3-hour, one-on-one session is typically conducted in the comfort of the older driver's home.  The session includes an in-depth learning conversation, several cognitive exercises, and an actual driving exercise with the older driver that takes place in his or her own car.

The award is named after the late Bill & Betty Fresch, who died in a Maryland farm field after becoming lost on what was always a routine 40-minute drive home from their daughter Jo Rinehart's residence.  The January 13, 2011, Washington Post article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011...) reporting the tragedy read "Elderly couple found frozen to death after getting lost during drive".

Keeping Us Safe and the Fresch family have since partnered to help similar tragedies from happening to other families.  "The Fresch family has been very gracious in sharing their very difficult story with others" says Gurwell.  "As difficult as it is to talk about the incident, they have risen above that and see the sharing of their story as an opportunity to help others deal with this very delicate and emotional situation, before tragedy strikes their family" concluded Gurwell.

Jeanne Nagle, Jo Rinehart and Paul Fresch (adult children of the late Bill & Betty Fresch) explain "The Fresch family appreciates the good work done by Keeping Us Safe.  We are honored that our parents' story can be used by this program to help others. We extend our sincere thanks to Ms. Vicki Spraul for her unwavering enthusiasm and dedication to this cause."

"Vicki was selected as the recipient of this award because of her unwavering dedication and compassion in helping older adults.  In addition to being very well respected in the community, Vicki exemplifies the standards and core values of Keeping Us Safe. The professionalism and empathy she demonstrates when working with older drivers with diminished driving skills is beyond reproach, making her an invaluable asset to the Keeping Us Safe team." says Gurwell.

Visit the Gray Matters Alliance website at http://www.graymattersalliance.com/