The Overbeck Fund

On May 26, 2011, before a small assembly, the Overbeck Fund donated 66 carbon monoxide detectors to Petoskey area families.  One of the Petoskey Middle School Students Matt Brown, who witnessed a near tragedy at his home, along with a group of his friends set out to make a difference and we were able to help.  With this donation we assisted in making certain that all of the families with students at the Petoskey Middle School are protected from accidental poisoning by carbon monoxide.  Along with their efforts to get CO detectors in every one of their classmates homes this group of students also conducted a thorough survey of their peers, produced an educational video, and developed a 'Prezi' presentation to help spread the word about the dangers of CO. All of the CO detectors were generously donated to us by Debbie Hanson and First Alert. Many thanks to First Alert from all of us as well as Matt Brown and his group!

You can view the 'Prezi' here:

https://prezi.com/secure/e6ca022e49356c555a637976adc20b2773ef55e1/

Our mission...

is to dedicate our time in preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, the “silent killer.” The Overbeck Fund was created to raise money and awareness to facilitate our organization getting laws passed in the state of Michigan requiring that CO monitors be installed near sleeping areas in all new residential construction in Michigan. 

In a single day, an entire family’s future can be changed because of a danger no one can see, hear or feel. It can occur anywhere in your house, and in many case causes death. The statistics indicate approximately 1,500 people die annually due to carbon monoxide exposure. But with education and state mandated prevention laws, this type of tragedy can be prevented.

We are happy to say that in December of 2008, Governor Jennifer Granholm sign the Overbeck Law into effect. Effective March 2009, all new residential construction and remodels will have to have a CO detector installed. We were also successful in getting a law passed that requires CO detectors be installed in maintenance areas of hotels and motels in Michigan.

• An estimated 1,000 people die from accidental CO poisoning every year.
• Several thousand people are admitted to hospital emergency rooms every year for treatment of CO poisoning.
• Poison control centers receive more calls for exposure to CO than to any other gas, fume or vapor.
• Of the estimated incidents of CO poisoning between 1992-1996