“Rainbow Day” Coming to Andover May 11th

Andover, MA – May 2, 2024 – Today the family of 5-year-old Sidney Olson, who was killed by a tractor trailer in Andover last May, announced Sidney’s Rainbow Day, an event to be held on Saturday, May 11, in partnership with the Town of Andover. The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on closed streets behind Old Town Hall, featuring a range of family-friendly activities, including live music, an interactive art show, crafts, and a “wheels garden” to teach kids safe ways to ride.

At noon, there will be a rainbow-themed bike and scooter parade, followed by remarks from Sidney’s parents and public officials. In addition, dozens of downtown businesses will feature rainbow-themed specials in their shops. Children are also invited to contribute art that represents love and community for display at the event.

Since Sidney was killed in the Elm Square intersection on her way to art class, her friends and family have created the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund, a non-profit charity focused on furthering Sidney’s legacy by creating “safer, more livable towns,” starting in Andover.

“Our downtown was such a happy place for Sid. People knew her as the girl who rode her scooter from shop to shop, bouncy curls flowing behind her,” said Eric Olson, Sidney’s father and president of the Rainbow Fund. “Every kid deserves that kind of freedom, but her death showed that few towns are designed to support it. We’re shutting down the streets and bringing our community together in hopes that we can show what it looks like when people flock to a vibrant, walkable downtown.”

In many parts of the country, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children. In fact, more than 1,000 children die each year from preventable crashes, and 160,000 more are injured, according to the US Department of Transportation.
“No kid should feel unsafe in their neighborhood, but Sid died just feet from the library in a well-marked crosswalk,” Olson said. “It was a wakeup call for us, and we quickly realized towns everywhere have a very solvable livability problem.”

Since the May 9th crash, the Rainbow Fund has worked with the town and pedestrian safety group WalkBike Andover to improve safety for vulnerable road users like Sidney, including the adoption of Vision Zero, a systematic approach to road safety, and three major areas of ongoing work.

1) Redesigning roads for all users, including establishing a sidewalk and bike network throughout town, something supported by Andover’s newly approved Complete Streets plan and other initiatives.

2) Reducing and enforcing speeds, including a townwide 25 mph speed limit, and video enforcement, which is currently under consideration in Massachusetts.

3) Addressing safety issues posed by large vehicles, including restrictions on deliveries and mandating safety controls common in other countries and required on state vehicles under the state’s vulnerable road users law.

Since the crash a year ago, Andover has made progress, but while their town is getting slowly safer, Sidney’s family believes events like this are critical for highlighting the opportunity to make towns across America safer, more livable places.

“We’re learning that livable towns are rare in America because most are designed to move traffic rather than support the wellbeing of residents,” said Mary Beth Ellis, Sidney’s mother and vice president of the Rainbow Fund. “I’ve been fortunate to live in other countries where families walk, bike, and gather safely in town squares. Better solutions exist - and everyone benefits. We’re hoping our advocacy in memory of Sidney will spark conversations and generate solutions on everything from truck safety requirements to speed enforcement.”

The event is made possible by presenting sponsors T&B Landscaping and Lillian Montalto Signature Properties International, the Town of Andover, and dozens of local businesses, non-profits, and schools.

For additional information, or to get involved as a sponsor or volunteer, please visit: https://www.therainbow.fund/rainbow-day. 

About the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund

Founded in 2023 after 5-year-old Sidney Olson was killed in an intersection, the Rainbow Fund is focused on furthering Sidney’s legacy of curiosity, kindness and community. Through its programs, the non-profit helps to create safer, more livable towns for families. Every year, more than 1,000 children are killed in traffic-related crashes in the US, and many thousands more are severely injured, making towns less livable places for families. The Rainbow Fund’s programs focus on fostering the key ingredients of livability, including designing safer ways to get around and opening access to programs that inspire a love for education and healthy lifestyles. Based in Andover, MA, the Rainbow Fund has already served hundreds of families in Massachusetts and received statewide and national media coverage for the advocacy work of its founders. 

Media Contact

Eric Olson

President, Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund

720.839.4394

eric.ols@gmail.com

Year in Review

Thank you for supporting the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund in 2023!

When Sidney was killed in May, it shook our family and our community. From day one, we have been surrounded by Sidney’s Rainbows, a growing community of people who want to honor her by opening doors for kids to live active and curious lives.

You helped make it happen.

Together, we have raised more than $100K to help families access early education. We’ve sparked change in traffic safety locally - and awareness nationwide. We gathered hundreds of children for the first annual “Sidney’s Rainbow Run.” And, we served hundreds more families with our kids running program and weekly family activities in Andover.

We’re just getting started. We’re awaiting IRS approval of our 501(c)(3) status, and we’re expanding all our programs in 2024.

Below, you’ll find a full recap of the meaningful work you helped support this year.

With gratitude,
Mary Beth, Eric, and Sidney’s Rainbows

Sidney’s Scholarship at SHED

All our activities and fundraising in 2023 have raised almost $100,000 to open doors for children to lead active and curious lives. Starting this winter, we will begin sharing the magic of SHED’s nature-based creative education with three local families by sponsoring them for February and April vacation weeks. We’ll continue to expand our support into summer camps and full year students in Fall of 2024.

Sidney’s Rainbow Run

On a cool Thanksgiving morning, we were delighted to watch as over 500 children of all ages participated in Sidney’s Rainbows Kids Fun Run at the FeasterFive with hundreds more challenging themselves to the Kids 5k Fun Run.

Sidney’s spirit of love, laughter and inclusion was alive in the sea of rainbows, colorful tutus and flying confetti along the track. Sidney would have loved running alongside all the kids and sharing a smile and hug with them all on Thanksgiving day.

Family Activities in the Community

Bringing fun, active, and creative activities to the markets

The Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund enjoyed being a part of the Andover Farmers Market, Andover Holiday Market, Andover Days, and the Scarecrow Festival this year.

At the local events, over 5,000 kids and their families gathered together to enjoy our fun creative activities designed to help little minds grow, learn, and play in a safe fun way.

Our favorite events included the community art project, 360 photo booth, book exchange, dance party, and kids obstacle course.

In 2024, we will continue to provide safe and open spaces for families to gather, learn, and play. Stay tuned.

Safer Streets for Vulnerable Road Users

Thanks to support from the community, we’ve made quick progress to address problems with Andover’s Elm Square, and started the long journey toward eliminating all preventable road deaths. Locally our team helped encourage Andover to commit to Vision Zero, where no pedestrian deaths are acceptable, and to expand the 25mph townwide speed limit.

In the past six months, we’ve been fortunate to garner media attention for this important issue on every Boston TV network, the Eagle Tribune, Boston.com - and we received national coverage with a column in the Boston Globe. We recognize this journey is long and hard, and are committed to be a voice for our vulnerable road users at the local, state and national level for years to come.

Rainbow Runners

Sidney’s Rainbow Runners

Inspired by Sidney’s love of movement and her mother’s love of running, the Rainbow Runners started with 50 kids ages 5-11 across two sessions. We plan to expand the program in 2024 to serve more children in Andover and beyond.