Jesse Watlington Memorial Foundation

in october 2012, chuck watlington of fort myers got the phone call that no parent wants to get. his 11-year-old son, jesse, had been struck by lightning and was in the emergency room at a local hospital. a sixth grader, jesse had been on the field with teammates awaiting the coaching staff before the start of football practice. as a thunderstorm approached, jesse and a group of teammates, who were unsupervised, decided to seek safety. when jesse’s teammates reached shelter and turned to look at the field, they saw him lying face down, motionless. jesse passed away days later as a result of the lightning strike and inadequate school policies and practices. now, the watlington family has started a foundation in their son’s name. it is their goal to protect as many children as possible from the dangers of lightning. the first goal is to require that all coaches for both public and private schools be trained and certified in c.p.r., and in the use of a.e.d.’s. second, the foundation wants