About Us
The fundationOur Mission & Vision
Vision: Expand national awareness and education to save lives.
Our Values
Awareness: We increase awareness of our mission through all of our activities.
Prevention: We believe prevention is the key to saving lives.
Wellness: We encourage individuals to take responsibility for their hydration needs.
Community: We serve our community with integrity and commitment to our mission.
Education and supporting activities
Beat the Heat – Presentations to athletes, coaches, and parents on proper hydration and heat illness prevention.
Educational Resources – Distribution of squeeze bottles and educational pamphlets to support our educational presentations.
Community Involvement – Representation at health fairs to educate the public about our mission and activities
Cool Huts – Misting tents with free ice water at outdoor public summer events to keep the community hydrated and safe.
Annual Youth Run – Educate youth about the importance of physical fitness and hydration needs through a run specially for youth at our Hydration Celebration.
Partnerships with other sports injury prevention groups, wellness organizations, and organizations with a common mission or reach.
Web presence to allow for regional and national reach.
Coming soon! – Educational programs for adults/seniors and the industrial workforce.
How we accomplish our mission (funding)
Corporate Partnerships
Fundraisers: Hydration Celebration, Beat the Heat Summer Swing Golf Tournament, and A Cool Summer Homecoming Gala.
MEET KENDRICK
Kendrick Fincher was born February 5, 1982 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Kendrick lived in Grand Forks until December 1986 when we moved to Colorado. He went to kindergarten and first grade in Boulder, Colorado, and second through fifth grades at Shaffer Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado. We moved to Pleasanton, California, in June of 1993. Kendrick attended sixth and part of seventh grade at Harvest Park Middle School in Pleasanton.
In March of 1995 we moved to Rogers, Arkansas, where Kendrick finished seventh grade and was preparing to attend eighth grade at Elmwood Jr. High. It seems we moved a lot, but they were all for job relocations. Kendrick had fond memories from all the places he lived and yet, after three months in Rogers, said that he didn’t want to move again. He found something special in the people and surroundings of Northwest Arkansas.
Kendrick has a sister, Keegan, born in 1989, another sister, Rylee that joined the family in 1997, and a brother Brennan, born in 1999. Kendrick and Keegan were very close in spite of their seven-year age difference and Keegan has fond memories of her brother building tents over furniture and making Lego creations with her.
Kendrick was a kind, sweet child. Every parent says that, but lots of people other than parents and grandparents have said that about Kendrick. He loved collecting sports cards and comic cards and books. One of the favorite activities was going to sports card shows and getting autographed baseballs and rookie cards.
His favorite sport was baseball and he started playing T-ball in Boulder when he was six years old. He tried soccer and basketball when he was in elementary school, but only played each of those sports one season as he was mainly interested in baseball. He didn’t play sports while we were in California, so when we moved to Rogers in March of 1995, he was excited about being on a baseball team again. Kendrick had been saying he wanted to play football when he got into eighth grade. So, in keeping with our tradition of letting him try different athletic activities, he signed up for the Elmwood Raiders football team in Rogers. He went to football camp during the summer and enjoyed the experience and was looking forward to being on the team.
Football practice started on August 7, 1995, and it was on that day that Kendrick experienced heat stroke. After 18 days in intensive care at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Kendrick died from complications of heat stroke.
The Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation was developed to ensure children have proper hydration during athletic activities and that they have squeeze bottles with them at all events.
READ MORE in this book written by Kendrick’s mom.
“This book is the best grieving book I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot…”
“I received this book on Wednesday and could not put it down until I was done. It was the first book about grief that I had to read with a box of Kleenex at my side.”
READ MORE in this book written by Kendrick’s mom.
“This book is the best grieving book I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot…”
“I received this book on Wednesday and could not put it down until I was done. It was the first book about grief that I had to read with a box of Kleenex at my side.”