In honour of the life of Kylie Quinn Krüger who died in a tragic car accident at the age of two, her family decided to pay tribute to her on 18 August every year by hosting a “Pink Milkshake Day for Kylie”, and at the same time raise awareness about child road safety.
Kylie, born on 18 August 2016, was known as a ray of sunshine. “She brightened up the lives if many people, and was a great joy to be around. She was a friendly baby who was known to the family as ‘Smiley Kylie’ as she was always laughing or making someone laugh,” said her mother, Bianca Krüger.
At the age of 2 years and 4 months Kylie died in a tragic car accident. On what would have been her third birthday, her mother asked people who knew her to enjoy a pink milkshake on the day in memory of her.
“On that day, over 200 people drank pink milkshakes. In 2020 I decided to go a little bigger and I had pink and blue buffs printed. During the Covid-19 pandemic this seemed fitting. Funds raised through the selling of these pink and blue buffs and from the pink milkshakes sold on the day, amounted to R10 000,” said Bianca. The entire amount was donated to Meals on Wheels to assist the organisation in feeding the hungry.
This year Krüger joined hands with Wheel Well, an NPO that focuses exclusively on child road safety. She saw it fitting as Kylie had passed away in a car accident due to “someone’s negligence”. She has since made it her mission to help raise awareness around child road safety and to help ensure that children are kept safe on the roads. “This campaign keeps Kylie’s memory alive. Instead of wallowing in self-pity on her birthday every year, we want to celebrate her life and make a difference because she was such a special little girl.”
She has hopes that this project will grow every year and eventually become a annual campaign in everyone’s diary. According to her, a total of R15 119 has been raised thus far by means of selling pink and blue mugs as well as face masks. “At some point in everyone’s life, they will know someone who had been tragically killed in a car accident, and we hope we can decrease the amount of child deaths by keeping children safer on the roads. Wheel Well also has an initiative where old, used baby car seats are collected, which they clean and check thoroughly and donate to a family who cannot afford one,” Krüger said.
Members of the community can get involved by purchasing a mug and/or mask, or by just enjoying a pink milkshake wherever they are and posting their photo with the #Pinkmilkshakes4Kylie. For more information, visit Pink Milkshakes for Kylie on Facebook or call Krüger on 079 502 8964.
Pierce van Heerden
