2024 Best Friend Award Night

KID Best Friend Award Night (April 25, 2024)

Thank you to everyone who attended KID’s Best Friend Award Night on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

Building a Bridge to Safety is the cornerstone of all the work we do here at KID. Whether it’s advocating for better safety standards, championing legislation designed to keep our most vulnerable kiddos safe or connecting families who have experienced insurmountable loss with vital resources, our efforts are built on this foundation.

This year, we were proud to honor Trista Hamsmith for her tenacious advocacy to prevent button and coin cell battery ingestion. Trista lost her 18-month-old daughter Reese after she ingested a button cell battery in 2020. Trista became a fierce advocate, successfully getting Congress to pass Reese’s Law in 2022 to strengthen safety standards for coin and button cell batteries.

Trista embodies our theme of Building a Bridge to Safety, having worked tirelessly to bring members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, medical and consumer groups, and businesses to the table to get Reese’s Law passed to prevent other families from suffering similar tragedies.

Learn more about Trista and Reese’s Law here.

Past Best Friend Awardees

2023

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