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Nonprofit Foundation to Establish Worldwide Safe Havens
for Young Travelers

March 2005 – The Alyson Ilene Kaplan Memorial Foundation has announced the creation of the Global Safe Haven Network to promote learning, understanding, and adventure through travel. It will provide education, support, and protection to young adult travelers all over the world.

The Foundation is being developed in loving memory of Alyson Kaplan, a twenty-year-old college student, who became stranded in England when a winter storm interrupted her travel itinerary. Lost in an area outside of London wholly unfamiliar to her, Alyson sought aid from someone she met at a train station, and thought she could trust, who later murdered her. Her parents, Donald and Joanne Kaplan, have created the Alyson Ilene Kaplan Foundation (AIKF) and dedicated it to reducing the risks associated with travel through extensive education and protective resources for young travelers.

AIKF will establish a Global Safe Haven Network (GSHN), which will consist of easily identifiable safe havens – such as hotel, fast-food, restaurant, and rental car chains – where young travelers can go if they find themselves in distress. At these safe havens, travelers will have access to GSHN’s emergency hotline, which will provide them with immediate and comprehensive information related to their crisis, ranging from medical issues, transportation failure, separation from travel groups or partners, to the need for emergency funds. “In essence, GSHN gives travelers a chance to make an informed choice,” explained Donald Kaplan, “and provides a secure environment in which to do so.”

The over-arching purpose of GSHN is to promote education to prepare trip leaders, families, and young adults for travel. GSHN will design a variety of educational materials and make them accessible on its website, in print, and as DVDs to young people and their families. The content will be available in several languages and will cover all aspects of travel. GSHN aims to make young adults aware of travel threats and risks and to provide the tools for them to organize and prepare in advance for their own safety and security.

In memory of Alyson Kaplan and in the hopes of preventing such tragedies, Global Safe Haven Network aims to ensure that, in the event of an unexpected incident or emergency, travelers, families, leaders, and support providers can successfully communicate with one another and, if necessary, prepare for the safe return of the traveler.

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About Global Safe Haven Network and Alyson Ilene Kaplan Foundation
Global Safe Haven Network, a project of the Alyson Ilene Kaplan Memorial Foundation, was established in February 2003 as the result of personal tragedy. Alyson Kaplan, a 20 year-old college student, was stranded when her travel itinerary in England was interrupted by a storm. Lost in an unfamiliar environment outside London, she sought aid from someone she met at a train station who would later murder her. Today, in her memory, her parents, Donald and Joanne Kaplan, are dedicated to finding ways to reduce the risks to young travelers through the efforts of the Alyson Ilene Kaplan Memorial Foundation.

Over the next five years, GSHN will become a provider of vital travel-related products and services for young adults, ranging from trip-planning information and education to emergency assistance in the United States and abroad. GSHN will be developed to offer young travelers – whether traveling domestically or internationally – and their families and friends: education to promote safe travel, travel support to ensure safety and security while on trips, and protection in the event of an emergency.