Adopt a Highway: Jayson’s memory brings decades of positive change

I had the honor of speaking with Bronwyn Streich recently about her family’s adopted miles near the Ballantine Trailhead – about the halfway point between Fountain Hills and Payson along State Route 87. 

For Streich, a memorial adoption in 2006 was a way for travelers and passersby to see and speak her firstborn son’s name: Jayson Micajah FitzGibbons. Jayson passed away in 1987 at 3 years of age after battling a rare childhood liver cancer.  

Jayson’s memory lives on through the caring actions of family and friends who have cleared 7,000 pounds of trash over the past 19 years during family gatherings. 

Click here to visit the ADOT Flickr album with nearly two decades of community service and a memory of Jayson running with the family dog, Buster.  We’ve included a photo of the recognition certificate presented to the family in 2011 when ADOT honored eight top performing volunteer groups at Chase Field.  

Streich is a self-proclaimed “neatnik” and no stranger to receiving recognition for volunteer service. “Socialization, companionship and the therapy of getting out of what you do every day,” said Streich, is what motivates her involvement in the program.

Because of the gracious nature of the Streich family, I am able to share her highway adoption experience with you. Thank you to our volunteers who find a silver lining through Adopt a Highway Volunteer program and step forward to share heartfelt memories with us. 

More than 300 volunteer groups are permitted in remembrance of loved ones in Arizona. If you are interested in a highway adoption, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.