2023 KID Best Friends Night

2023 KID Best Friends Night – May 23, 2023

KID held our 2023 Best Friends Night on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, from 6-8pm at the Gleacher Center in Chicago to commemorate KID’s 25th anniversary. Traditionally, our event has been the KID Best Friend Award Night, but this year for our 25th anniversary, we wanted to celebrate all our best friends who have supported us over the years – you! Attendees enjoyed a fun-filled evening with appetizers, drinks, live and silent auction, raffle, wine toss, and more. 

Since 1998, our work has brought about many hard-fought victories, including the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Recently, we worked to get the CPSC to establish a rule requiring that any infant sleep product meet a safety standard before it can be sold. We also launched the KID Design Safety Toolkit – a free online course to provide entrepreneurs and children’s products companies with the information they need to design, develop, and market products more safely.

View photos from the event, and watch KID founders Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar’s remarks.

Stay tuned for more information about future events.

Past Best Friend Awardees

2022

2021

  • Dr. Erin Mannen for her groundbreaking infant sleep research that has led to policy changes and saved lives.

2020

2019

2018

  • Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar, KID Founders for 20 years of dedication to fighting for children’s product safety

2017

  • The SEGAL DESIGN INSTITUTE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY for its participation in KID’s Teach Early Safety Testing (TEST) program.
  • MICHIGAN ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN for their participation in KID’s Teach Early Safety Testing (TEST) program
  • The INSTITUTE OF DESIGN AT THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY for its work with KID on innovations to improve recall effectiveness.
  • THE RUSTANDY CENTER FOR SOCIAL SECTOR INNOVATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS for its support of KID.

2016

  • Lisa M. Turano for her voice in support of children’s product safety and philanthropic support for KID

2015

  • Barbara Guthrie for her leadership on children’s safety at Underwriters Laboratories

2014

  • Inez Tenenbaum for her leadership on children’s product safety

2013

  • Shawn Kasserman for his strong voice in support of children’s product safety

2012

  • Sonny Garg for his instrumental role in developing responses to unsafe children’s products and his strong leadership in KID

2011

  • Mitch Lipka for his commitment to reporting on children’s product safety

2010

  • Gary Smith, MD for his pioneering work in the field of childhood injury prevention

2009

  • US Representative Bobby Rush and US Senator Mark Pryor for their commitment to children and leadership on product safety

2008

  • US Senator Richard Durbin for his commitment to children and leadership on product safety

2007

  • Robert Tanz, MD and Elizabeth Powell, MD, MPH for their leadership in injury prevention research and policy

2006

  • Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan for her enforcement of Illinois’ Children’s Product Safety Act and her strong commitment to children’s safety

2005

  • Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm for her support of the Children’s Product Safety Act and advocacy for children’s safety

2004

  • Rachel Weintraub and Mary Ellen Fise for their role as strong advocates for children’s product safety

2003

  • Commissioner Caroline Shoenberger, State Senator Carol Ronen and US Representative Jan Schakowsky for their dedication to changing public policy to protect children

2002

  • NBC Target 5 Consumer Unit for outstanding coverage of children’s product safety

2001

  • E. Marla Felcher for her groundbreaking book, It’s No Accident: How Corporations Sell Dangerous Baby Products