The
Davon Green Franklin Foundation (501 (c3) was founded in an effort to help
United States citizens understand the hidden dangers associated with
international travel. In 2012, the U.S. State Department assisted the survivors of
nearly 11,000 U.S. citizens by notifying next of kin, helping with returning
the body and keeping the family informed of any investigations. Unfortunately, as the parents of Davon, we know all too well what
can happen when faced with the news that your loved one has died abroad.
On March 14, 2010, our son, Davon Green-
Franklin suffered a medical emergency while swimming and died while on spring break
in Cancun, Mexico. Davon was an experienced swimmer and only twenty-two years old at the time of his passing. Over the years, we have had to rely on the details of others and an American life guard who was a passerby. One thing for certain, there are always two versions; Mexico's version and the truth. One person's accounts was that Davon was fearful as he looked towards the shoreline and did not see anyone arriving to render him aid. One of the individuals stated that one member of the group ran down the beach looking for a "life guard". The
other two individuals with Davon stated that they helped to keep him above water until he finally slipped under
the water due to exhaustion. When they pulled Davon back up; he was unconscious.
In fact, Davon had died by the time a "life-guard" was located. He had been in
the water for over three minutes waiting for help to arrive. The individual's
shared with me that they were verbally harassed by the authorities while in
Cancun, Mexico. We were also told that they were sent back to round up $600.00 in order to have Davon
transported to the nearest hospital. One of the students stated that she felt
intimidated by the police officers because they showed no immediacy.
In less than thirty minutes of learning
of my son’s death, I was a victim of the same sort of harassment. I was called
by an individual that attempted to get my credit card information and checking
account routing numbers to pay for medical bills. It was only after carefully
listening to the individual that I realized that the gentleman was attempting to
scam me. The doctors at Ameri-Med Hospital told us that Davon had been on
life-support and that was not the truth. They stated that he was placed in a
specialized treatment area. It had been reported to me that Davon stayed in the
same location of the hospital and was never moved to another location. When the
hospital officials were probed by a United States attorney, they scratched out
the life-support fees and quickly sent the bill back for payment. The
individuals at the hospital were only concerned about their payments. The
hospital officials never offered our family one moment of sympathy.
It would take days before the U.S.
Consular in Mexico to even establish contact with my family. Davon’s death was
largely attributed to human error, gross negligence, and the fact that there were not enough life-guards on the
beach, nor were there any rescue devices nearby. In my opinion, Mexico has a
blatant disregard for human rights and human dignity. We believe that Davon's death was PREVENTABLE!
Davon exchanged several tweets with a few of his Twitter followers, but his most chilling tweet was Life Lessons from the Ocean Water: The waves will pull you out further before they take you back to shore.
Davon exchanged several tweets with a few of his Twitter followers, but his most chilling tweet was Life Lessons from the Ocean Water: The waves will pull you out further before they take you back to shore.
Davon expected that help would arrive
and that he would resume his life as normal instead; we are faced with dealing
with a “new normal”. This “new normal would be a life with our beloved son. Since
Davon’s passing, we have found out that there were thirty-two United States
citizens that died in Mexico for the month of March 2010.
Davon attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. He was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, Howard
University Student Government, and a member of the Howard University Campus
Pals. In his community, he served as a minister and mentor.
On May 8, 2010, my husband and I proudly
accepted his degree posthumously from Howard University alongside many of
Davon’s family members and friends. Our response to our son’s death has been to rise up
and answer the call to shed light on our son’s story in an effort to save
others. A few weeks after Davon’s passing, with the assistance of a few of Davon's friends, I developed a
presentation entitled, “Surviving Spring Break 101”. This presentation has
empowered individuals with knowledge and resources to best protect themselves
in the event they choose to travel internationally during spring break. At the conclusion of the presentation,
students are given the opportunity to take the Surviving Spring Break pledge
and they are issued pledge cards to keep in their wallets and purses.
The Davon Green Franklin Foundation, Incorporated was established in an effort to help warn others of the impending dangers of international travel. The Surviving Spring Break campaign has a yearly kick-off at Howard University. The program has been widely received at Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) Stevenson University, Towson University, Tulane University, Dillard, Morgan State University, Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville, Coppin State University and University of Maryland –Baltimore County.
In 2010, the Davon Green Franklin Legacy Award & Scholarship fund was established in order to fulfill Davon's vision. Since Davon's untimely death, we have been saving lives and awarding scholarships in Davon's memory.
Life Lessons from the Ocean Water: The waves will pull you out further before they take you back to shore.
The Davon Green Franklin Foundation, Incorporated was established in an effort to help warn others of the impending dangers of international travel. The Surviving Spring Break campaign has a yearly kick-off at Howard University. The program has been widely received at Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) Stevenson University, Towson University, Tulane University, Dillard, Morgan State University, Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville, Coppin State University and University of Maryland –Baltimore County.
In 2010, the Davon Green Franklin Legacy Award & Scholarship fund was established in order to fulfill Davon's vision. Since Davon's untimely death, we have been saving lives and awarding scholarships in Davon's memory.
If you are interested in learning more about the Davon Green Franklin Foundation or to donate visit: www.dgffoundation.org
Facebook: Davon Green Franklin Foundation
Twitter: dgffoundation
You are invited to join us for an evening of food, fun, and bowling for only $25! All lanes will open at 7:00 p.m. We are also looking for individuals to sponsor each lane for a cost of $250 per lane. Since November 2010, family, friends, and community partners have helped the Davon Green Franklin Foundation to raise funds for the DGF Legacy Award & Scholarship and the Surviving Spring Break 101 program. The DGF Foundation is committed to helping individuals to understand the hidden dangers and vulnerabilities associated with international travel.https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/ davon-green-franklin-2017-l egacy-bowling-night-ticket s-36735212008?aff=erelexpm lt
Donations can be mailed to:
DGF Foundation (501c3)
P.O. Box 47223
Baltimore, Md. 21244