Memorial Scholarship

The family of Cole Overstreet, the 18-year-old high school senior who was killed Sept.24 in a hit-and-run accident by a driver alleged to be under the influence of alcohol, has formed a memorial scholarship in his name and several fundraisers are presently underway.

Cole's parents, Tad and April Overstreet, are in communication with their state representative and state senator regarding legislation to prevent other families from going through a similar tragedy.

"We are working together to charge legislation to support victims of drinking and driving," Melanie Dahlke, Cole's aunt said.

T-SHIRT FUNDRAISER

Dahlke started a T-shirt fundraiser through bonfire.com in which all proceeds will go to the Cole Overstreet Memorial Scholarship Fund.  The T-shirt is blue with white lettering and a green ribbon.  The front says Support Cole's Law and the back says #fightforcole and #justiceforcole.

To order a shirt, go to bonfire.com and type Justice for Cole Overstreet in the search field.  The shirts are only available for a short time.

A MOTHER'S GRIEF

Cole's mother, April, wanted to share her experience:

"When Cole first got his license, I was worried about him driving.  The first time I saw him drive down the driveway., I watched him until I couldn't see his taillights anymore.  I remember praying God's protection over him and I decided them to give my worry over to Him - my Lord Jesus.  I distinctly remember the felling of peace that came over me as a huge weight was lifted off of my chest.  I could literally feel it.  Tad and I did drive over to the high school parking lot later on, just to see where he parked and that he made it to school; even though I watched him on my "Find Friends" app.  I never worried about him driving because I trusted that God would keep him safe.  Every time Cole would leave the house I always told him, "Don't speed," "Watch the other drivers."  He would say, "Mama, you don't have to tell me that every time, I know."  And I would say, "Yes I do.  You're my son and I love you."  He always gave me a smile and a hug and said, "I love you Mama."

"The peace I felt for him driving never stopped me from praying for him.  When he would leave, I would pray for God to protect him.  I remember the last time I saw him drive away I prayed the same prayer of protection.  That was Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.  It was the day of our Homecoming football game.  My mom, "Nana," was driving over to go with us.  She was going to spend the night too.  We had a great day, in fact we had been having a great week.  Cole had just turned 18 not long before.  We celebrated by eating out with my nephew Tom who has the same birthday only four years apart.  Tad took Cole to an Astros game on his birthday and bought him a jersey with him name and favorite number, 19, on the back.  He had said it was the best birthday ever. 

"Cole and I had already started the application process for college.  He wanted to go to Sam Houston State University.  That Friday on Homecoming, the kids had received their transcripts.  Anna had seen him at school and said he was excited because his GPA had gone up.  He was always a happyand positive kid at school.  If someone was having a bad day, he always managed to get them to smile and feel better.   The game was a really good one.  Our boys played a tough game against Madisonville but managed to pull through a win.  The band performed their show and my mom and I had been a little melancholy thinking about how it would be Cole's last Homecoming because he's a senior. "Well, actually, Cole said he's thinking of playing in band at Sam!"  We got excited thinking of how much fun that would be!  During the last half of the game.  Cole played with a small group of band kids on the sidelines right in front of us.    Nana and I jumped up and yelled loud, "Go Cole! Yay Cole!" I wanted to make sure he saw us.  He was never embarrassed by that.  He smile his big smile and waved to us with his drumsticks.  That was the last time I saw my precious son.

"After the game was over we went home to get ready for bed.  Cole always came in late because they had to unload instruments and put uniforms away in the band hall.  Sometimes he would meet friends at Whataburger to eat.  I would usually just go on to bed and see him in the morning but I 'd never fall asleep until I saw his headlights shine through the window and I heard him come in the house.  As I was tucking Ben in, I heard Tad yell up at me, "April! Come here!"  He had a strange tone to his voice and I felt something was wrong.  He said, "Hurry get dressed.  We have to go.  Cole has bene hit by a drunk driver!"  I ran to be closet and scrambled to find something to put on.  I immediately started praying, "God please let my baby by okay! Please!!"  I couldn't stop crying and was hysterical.  I saw the missed phone calls on my phone and dialed the first number.  It was Cole's band director.  I couldn't stop screaming on the line.  "Please tell me my baby is okay!"  Tad told me to calm down but I couldn't.  I felt something bad in the pit of my stomach.  Tad took the phone away from me and they told him they were trying to get him out of the vehicle and that he was unresponsive.  The whole time we were on the phone Tad was driving us to the site.  I called my sister Melanie and asked her to please pray, that Cole had been hit by a drunk driver.  I told her to call everyone in our family, to pray and pray hard.  

"When we saw the flashing lights, I can't remember how far I ran, but I jumped out of the truck and ran as fast as I could.  I had to reach my son.  Tad could hardly keep up with me.  I reached a state trooper near an ambulance.  I look over and saw my son's truck.  The whole driver side was crashed in.  I felt like I was in some kind of movie.  I don't even know what said to the trooper, maybe because I was in shock.  But I heard the word a  mother never wants to hear.  "Ma'am I'm sorry to inform you that you son is dead."  Tad held me tight as I screamed out in pain and disbelief.  I screamed so loud and long that I made my throat sore.  I asked if I could see my child.  I wanted to hold him one more time.  But the trooper said no.  I called my sister Melanie back and told her he's with Jesus.  I knew I had to tell my mom and my two other kids.  They were waiting at home.  Melanie said she was coming to Livingston.  I called our youth pastor and told him what happened, all the while crying hysterically.  He got to the site in what seemed like five minutes.  I asked him if he would go home with us and help us tell my mom and Anna and Benjamin.

"The ride from the scene to our home was a blur to me.  I just kept crying.  Tad said I had to pull it together and try to be strong for Anna and Ben.  So I put on a mask as we walked inside.  I didn't feel like any of this was really happening.  I found my mom and kids at the top fo the stairs.  My mom was laying on the floor as my daughter and youngest son sat beside her.  They were all crying.  Me, Tad and Brad, our youth pastor, sat on the floor with them as we told them, " Cole is with Jesus."  This was the worst think I ever had to do.  I had to give my mom a sleeping pill.  She was devastated.  We called friends and family and one by one they started coming over.  We all cried and held each other for hours.  I felt so hopeless.

When I found out that man that did this ran away, I was so angry.  How could someone do that to my child and leave them there to die!!!  I felt better knowing the troopers and Texas Rangers were doing everything in their power to find him.  But I didn't feel better about my Cole being gone.  I wanted so badly to go back and tell him, "Don't leave yet!  Wait five minutes!"  I didn't know why I didn't have that mother's intuition to tell me to stop this from happening.  I was nauseous the whole night, so was Tad.  He was throwing up in the yard.  We couldn't sleep or eat for days.  Ben started sleeping in our bed that night and at this moment is there still.  I've had this pain in my chest off and on, more on than off.  It feels like a heaviness I've never felt before.  It takes my breath away.  It's a sharp pain that never really goes away.  I think it's truly a broken heart.  I will never by the same.  None of us will.  I feel cheated and robbed.

"Cole did not deserve this.  He was an awesome young man who had his whole life ahead of him.  He would going to do so much good in this world.  I can't think of the future too long because it hurts my physically.  I don't want to live my life without Cole in it.  But I have to because I know he would want me to.  And I have to be strong for my husband and kids.  I never thought something like this would happen to us.  I've never felt pain like this in my life.  It's indescribable.  I know that God has answered my prayer for Cole's protection, just not the way I wanted.  The images from that night and the words that trooper spoke to us play over and over in my mind.  I will never be the same.  I just have to accept this and learn to live with it.  But I also know that God IS good and He IS carrying me through.

"I want every judge, lawmaker, officer of the law, senator, representative, citizen, voted, everyone to know or have a glimpse of this nightmare, I, as a mother, have been through.  It's not fair and I don't want anybody to have this experience.  Something has to change and I will fight every day for the rest of my life!"