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   Since it was founded in the 1940s, the law firm of Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn, PC, has represented numerous families of children injured or killed by preventable tragedies. As a tribute to those children and their families, and as a way to prevent other children from suffering the same fate, the firm established the Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn, PC, Foundation for Children's Advocacy in November 2005.
   The mission of the Foundation, known as HKQ Kids, is to promote a safer future for
children in Northeastern Pennsylvania through public awareness and advocacy programs.
   “It has been a longtime dream of this firm to honor the memories of the many wonderful children and families we have represented by establishing a foundation to promote child safety,” said Attorney Joseph Quinn, the firm’s Senior Litigation Partner. “It is our fervent hope that the work of HKQ Kids will be a force for positive change in our community and help prevent the kinds of horrible tragedies we have witnessed as lawyers who represent injured people.”
   HKQ Kids was established following the settlement of a major medical malpractice case in September 2005 involving 4-year-old Torajee Bobbett, who died in 2001 due to negligent care at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre. HKQ partnered with The Luzerne Foundation, a well-known local philanthropic organization, to provide financial oversight for HKQ Kids.
   “The Bobbett case was the touchstone for establishing HKQ Kids, but the reality is we have represented many other families whose children have died or suffered severe injuries as a result of totally preventable hazards,” said Quinn. “Contrary to what others might think, I wish I had never seen any of those cases come through my door.”
   Charles Barber, Executive Director of the Luzerne Foundation, believes HKQ Kids "fits perfectly" into his organization's mission.
   "Our job is to identify needs in our community and fund programs to address those needs," said Barber. “We believe HKQ Kids will have a tremendous impact on families in our community."
   Quinn said HKQ Kids is much more than simply a philanthropic organization, sponsoring public awareness programs on holiday toy safety, cheerleading safety, Halloween safety and swimming safety, among others. In the future, the organization hopes to sponsor programs in playground hazards, dangerous household products, stranger danger, child safety seats, day-care centers and other issues that could affect the safety of children.
   For the 2006 holiday season, HKQ Kids partnered with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) to promote its 21st annual report, “Trouble in Toyland,” which details potential hazards posed by specific toys on shelves for the holiday shopping season. HKQ Kids facilitated distribution of "Trouble in Toyland" in Northeastern Pennsylvania through media exposure and the Internet. The report is available online in Adobe PDF format by CLICKING HERE. (To view PDF files, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
   During 2006, HKQ Kids also sponsored programs on swimming safety, Halloween safety and cheerleading safety. For more information on HKQ Kids projects, CLICK HERE.

HKQ KIDS - Keeping Our Kids Safe

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