It is a cool start to August as Del’s Lemonade teams up with the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation (KDMF) this month. Del’s, along with AAA Southern New England, Almeida Plumbing, Big Blue Bug Solutions, Munroe Dairy, Rhode Island State Police and Yardworks, place the KDMF magnets on their fleet of vehicles throughout the year.

In October of 1999, a drunk driver killed 13-year-old Katie DeCubellis and the magnet program is a way to remind motorists to drive responsibly. This month, Del’s, headquartered in Cranston, is the featured business participating in getting the message out.

“We are so pleased and honored that such respected and conscientious organizations are joining forces with the KDMF to help encourage motorists to drive responsibly, and hopefully, save lives,” said John DeCubellis, the executive director of the KDMF.

John and Meg DeCubellis know firsthand of the devastating toll impaired driving can have on a family.

DeCubellis provided the following facts, which include that driving under the influence and distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways.

On Oct. 29, 1999, a drunken driver killed 13-year-old Katie DeCubellis. Since then, the Foundation has strived to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence and distracted driving.

Reviewing just the latest news, Rhode Island State Police arrested a father, who rolled his pickup while allegedly driving under the influence. Police say his 7-year-old son was in the truck. That same night, police say a Warwick woman, driving under the influence, swerved into another car causing serious injury to a young girl.

According to the latest Centers for Disease Control statistics, nearly 11,000 people died due to alcohol impaired driving crashes in 2010 alone, and over 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes. Those alarming numbers have spurred Rhode Island businesses and organizations to join forces with the KDMF.

“We are very excited about Del’s support for the KDMF this month,” said Meg DeCubellis, “and we are happy to partner with them by having our KDMF magnets on the Del’s trucks. Del’s is such a well-established iconic Rhode Island brand and so many people associate good summer memories with a delicious Del’s lemonade.”

“Having Katie’s magnets on Del’s trucks throughout the state at festivals and carnivals during the summer season is the perfect opportunity to spread KDMF’s message of responsible decision making during the summertime,” said DeCubellis.

Each month one or more establishments will place the KDMF magnets on its vehicles, helping KDMF to encourage the public to take notice. The goal is to raise awareness and also thank the organizations who are all so willing to donate some space on their vehicles.

“We see our participation as a way to help,” said Bruce DeLucia, president of Del’s. “All these senseless tragedies of drunk and distracted driving; we had to help in some way and be part of the solution.”

To date, the KDMF has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships, prizes and donations. For more information, log onto www.kdmf.org.