Kellie Adams: Family of pregnant woman killed in Montco crash gives back with Ben to the Shore Bike Tour

UPPER PROVIDENCE TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) – When 31-year-old Kellie Adams and her unborn baby were killed in a car accident in Audubon, Pennsylvania on August 25, 2022, her family’s world fell apart.

Her husband Jason worked as a firefighter in Montgomery County and was dispatched to the scene of the accident for emergency rescue.

What began as a seemingly routine phone call would change his life forever.

“I responded and arrived on the scene, saw our vehicle and realized it was my wife and unborn daughter,” he recalls. “The hardest thing was going home and telling our two boys that their mother and sister were not coming home.”

Jason said he received immediate financial assistance from a local organization following the tragic accident through funding from the Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation.

It is a non-profit organization that provides support to the families of fallen or seriously injured first responders.

He said the support helped him and his family get through an incredibly difficult time, and when the opportunity to give back fell into his lap a year later, he took it without hesitation.

“It really motivated us to want to give back, to become part of something bigger than ourselves,” Jason said.

So he and Kellie’s sister Stephanie Miller decided to help families who find themselves in a similar predicament.

The two joined the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Wheels of Justice cycling team and began training and raising funds for the Ben to the Shore Bike Tour, the 65-mile charity bicycle event from Philadelphia to Atlantic City organized by the Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation.

What began as a service mission evolved into a healing opportunity for Jason and Stephanie as they connected with people and families who could understand their suffering.

“So much of it had to do with our grieving process and getting through the hardest days of our lives,” Stephanie said.

Not knowing what they were getting into, the two embarked on the long bike ride for the 2023 Ben to the Shore Bike Tour. It was challenging, but with the support of family and friends, both Jason and Stephanie completed the tour.

This motivated Kellie’s other sister, Jaclyn Miller, and her mother, Cindy Miller, to join in this year.

“I really felt the community that surrounded her,” Cindy told Action News.

All four have trained weekly for months for the big ride on July 21, raising thousands of dollars to support the families of first responders, making them some of the top fundraisers for this year’s event.

Jack Costello, deputy director of Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation, said while it is great to raise money for their cause, nothing beats the power of helping grieving families cope with a tragic loss.

He said this has been the case with the Ben to the Shore Bike Tour for years.

“You can jump on a bike and literally move forward,” Costello said.

Jason said the legacy of Kellie and their unborn child will live on through the family’s efforts to give back as he moves on with his life.

“We are a family of service,” he said. “That’s what we do. That’s who we are.”

The Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation said it has already raised $1 million from the more than 2,000 riders making the trip to the coast this year.

The company hopes to raise another $500,000 before the tour kicks off on July 21. For more information on how you can help, visit ben2shore.org.