Matt’s Mission Continues to Make a Difference [Video]

Lynn Riordan knows there is nothing she can do to bring back her son, , who died in a speeding accident two years ago, but she says she “wants to keep the memory of my son alive, but I also want to prevent this tragedy from happening to other families.”

She established Matt’s Mission to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding. Through talks at schools and fundraisers, Riordan has made a visible impact on the community as evidenced by the “” signs lining many streets.

Matt’s Mission also hosts several fundraisers throughout the years including , which drew almost 1,000 runners this year, and the  at Joker’s Wild, which is Sunday, Aug. 7 with tickets still available.

“I have a lot of energy so I could spend a lot of time being sad, which I am, but I turn it around and do something positive with it because sitting around and crying all day long is not going to do any good,” said Riordan. 

The town will now see the fruits of Riordan’s fundraising labors as she presented a check for $6,000 to the on Aug. 1. The money will be used to purchase two new radar units that will be mounted permanently in two of the patrol cars.

“[With this technology], you can’t use a scrambler to tell the person there’s a radar unit ahead,” said Canelli. “According to Lynn, her generous donation may be something that is done on an annual basis so eventually all of our cars will be equipped with the new technology.”