Taylor Jordan Dowdle was born November 29, 1997 to adoring parents Christina and Bryan Dowdle in the small, historic village of Cadiz, Ohio. Growing up, Taylor spent her days filled with love and laughter, surrounded by family and friends who adored her. She had a full and adventurous childhood, taking annual trips to Vegas with her parents, and spending time at the beach with her closest friends.

Turning 16 in 2014, Taylor received her dream car as a birthday gift: a new blue Mustang with crisp white racing stripes. The weather in Ohio was harsh that winter, leaving the Mustang safely in the garage until conditions improved. Though she was unable to drive her dream car that winter, Taylor still enjoyed her new-found freedom of driving.

Attending Harrison High School as a sophomore honors student, Taylor was devout in her academic career. She played trumpet in the school's band, was a member of the Select Choir, and was a representative in the Ohio Model United Nations in Columbus, Ohio. She was kind, loving, hard-working, and incredibly smart - she had a well-lit future ahead of her.

Until the evening of March 24th, when everything unraveled, and lives were changed forever.

Taylor had been driving at dusk with a friend in her father's 2006 Kia Sorento. It wasn't like her to miss curfew, so when she didn't return home on time and wasn't answering her parents' calls, they decided to go out and look for her. That was when they got the call.

She had been driving too fast, distractedly down the winding back road they had taken. When the car's tire slipped from the edge, over correction led to the initial impact into a low-hanging tree limb, flipping the car which hit an iron fence and landed topside against a large boulder. Taylor had not been wearing her seat belt at the time of the accident, which forced her into the rear of the vehicle.

Taylor Jordan Dowdle, age 16, had been killed at the scene of the unimaginable single-car accident. Her passenger, still in her safety belt, was airlifted to UMPC Presbyterian Hospital, where she was able to recover from her injuries.

She left behind more than a grieving family - she left behind a community that would be changed forever. In the wake of her passing, the Harrison County community came together, honoring her memory and sharing stories through a candlelight vigil held at the Harrison County Court House in the center of the village. Together, she could be remembered for the smiling, talented, and irreplaceable individual she'd been in life.

Together, the community healed, as Taylor's parents continue to work towards raising awareness and bringing light back into their community through their daughter's life and legacy of hard work and kindness.

"We want to bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving - not just teen driving, or texting and driving. Distraction can be caused by anything, from passengers to the radio," says Christina, who has been working to draw attention to the importance of practicing safe driving. "It only takes a moment to change a life forever." A statement that this mother knows all too well, having lost her son a mere two years earlier.

"We want to work toward showing that there are many factors to safe driving: seat belts, attentiveness, safe speeds...so much emphasis is placed on teen drivers and texting while driving, but there are so many other dangers that many people don't realize are there until it's too late."

Taylor's father, Bryan, served as a police officer in Harrison County for over 20 years, accepting the title of Cadiz Police Chief for another 7 before taking an early retirement from the force.

"Bryan always talked to her about driving safety," says Bryan's brother, Doug. "After his years on the force, he always wanted to make sure she was safe."

She was a responsible driver - she didn't text and drive, and she normally didn't have non-familial passengers. "It only took one time," Christina recounts, "one moment of distraction and poor judgement, and now, our lives are changed forever."

Through their daughter's memory, Christina and Bryan Dowdle have created the Taylor J. Dowdle Scholarship Fund - a scholarship offered exclusively to the students enrolled at Harrison Central High School. "We wanted to honor Taylor's memory, while also remembering why we have this award in place," Christina states. "We want people to remember her, and we want to avoid something like this from happening again."

2014 TJD Scholarship Awardee Phil Reed,

presented by Christina Dowdle

The scholarship is to be awarded annually to an individuals who prove themselves academically and in their communities. "We want to uphold the values that we saw in Taylor each and every day: being hard-working and dedicated to her studies, while also finding time to give back to her community. We think the scholarship can really help us to do just that."

The overall goal of the scholarship is to raise awareness to the importance of safe driving, while supporting the minds and dreams of those pursuing a brighter future through their studies.

Taylor will not soon be forgotten, but it is hoped that her story will be worth remembering. It only takes one mistake - one moment of poor judgement - to change a life forever. The cost of distracted driving is often invaluable and irreplaceable. Raising awareness won't grant Taylor a second chance, but through her, a message of safety and awareness can be shared in hopes that this kind of devastation can be prevented.

Whether you're texting, talking, eating, or simply driving in the car with others - be smart, wear a seat belt, and stay alert while you're driving. There's more at stake than you might think.

For more information on Taylor's story, information on safe driving practices, and more on the scholarship, please visit: /http://thetjdscholarshipfund.weebly.com/