Join Us!
Each January, Erin Olmsted’s Annual AAIM for Change Memorial Gymnastics Invitational will be held at Victor J. Andrews High School in Tinley Park, IL. Along with fellowship, music, and social awareness, donation drive runs from November thru January 31, for the Erin E. Olmsted Memorial Scholarship and the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. For more information, please visit erinsaaimforchange.org
The Erin E. Olmsted Scholarship Fund Raising History
After Erin’s untimely death the scholarship fund was started via gifts from family, her father’s business associates, the O.Y.A and the Orland Park Community. Those funds provided scholarships between 1998 and 2006. Between 2006 and 2014 the fund operated Erin’s AAIM For Change 5K Run/Walk. Over those eight successful years, over 500 runners and walkers participated each and every year in addition to a slew of donations. These efforts allowed the fund to expand scholarships at Carl Sandburg High School, offer new scholarships at Plainfield East High School and allowed substantial donations each year to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM). This year in the spirit of innovation and in cooperation with District 230 gymnastics, together we are hosting the Erin Olmsted Memorial Gymnastics Invitational and Donation Drive.
With your participation it is our hope that the success of this event and donation drive will allow us to continue awarding scholarships and helping AAIM with all the fine work that they do.
What is Erin's AAIM for Change
This past March marked the 26th Anniversary of Erin Elizabeth Olmsted's death, a beautiful 17 year old girl who was killed by a drunk driver.
Erin was a senior at Carl Sandburg High School, an Honor Student, Varsity Gymnastics Captain, and active Gymnastics Coach at Tumbling On U.S.A. in Orland Park. More importantly, she was a loving daughter, sister, and friend to many. Erin was a wonderful person. Her unexpected, sudden death devastated not only her family, but the community in which she lived. She has been missed each and every day.
Throughout the past twenty years the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM), a non-profit organization based in Illinois, has been helping the Olmsted Family with constant emotional support. AAIM is committed to helping victims of drunk driving. Their help includes, but is not limited to, financial support, emotional support, legal support, and education regarding the consequences of driving while intoxicated.
Erin's sister, Kate, has been working alongside AAIM by speaking on Victim Impact Panels at High Schools, Universities, and Court Houses. Because AAIM is a non-profit organization, their various support programs are sponsored completely by donations.
From the beginning, our family wanted to do something to honor Erin. We wanted her memory to live on in the community she loved so much. As a result, the Erin E. Olmsted Memorial Scholarship was founded.
Erin was killed just short of fulfilling her dream of graduating and going to college. With these scholarships, we hope that the recipients will take "a little piece of Erin" with them as they go off to college and always remember her dedication, hard work ethic and burning competitive spirit - that the sky is the limit and to make a difference in the world.
2014 was also the last Erin's Walk/Run event. AAIM will be forever grateful to the Olmsted family for their continued support of our mission and AAIM's victim's Assistant Fund in memory of their beautiful daughter, Erin.
