Album Notes

“Save a Life” was inspired by the story of nine-year old Erica Forney. On November 25, 2008, two days before Thanksgiving, Erica was riding her bike home from school. Just a few houses down the street from Erica’s home, a woman driving a Ford Expedition looked down at her cell phone, and as a result, struck Erica. Two days later on Thanksgiving Day, Erica died.

Amidst their grief and loss, Erica’s family joined with others who had lost loved ones due to distracted driving and formed www.focusdriven.org, an organization committed to raising awareness and promoting legislature to stop distracted driving.

Members of Erica’s family approached Katie and asked if she would be willing to write a song for the Focus Driven organization. Having never met the family before, Katie watched video footage from the family's January 2010 appearance on Oprah where they shared their tragic story. She also spent time looking at Erica's family photos and was immediately captivated by Erica's beautiful smile. Deeply moved by the life of Erica and the unimaginable grief her family had experienced, Katie found the song quickly taking shape.

“Save a Life” is a reminder that our actions have consequences, consequences that we sometimes wish we could take back. But it's also a song of hope that reminds us, in every moment, we have the ability to choose to do what’s right. As we exercise that free gift we are also invited to remember that our smallest choices may in fact, save someone's life.

Please visit www.focusdriven.org for more information about how you can support the movement to make your car a phone free zone.