Little boy's legacy helps keep Beeline/87 clean

Jayson Micajah FitzGibbons

Friends and family meet to clean the highway in honor of Jayson Micajah FitzGibbons.

PHOENIX — In order to pay tribute to her son who died of liver cancer at the tender age of three, Bronwyn Streich adopted a segment of Arizona State Route 87. Now, the mother who sought to honor the memory of her son, Jayson, is being honored by ADOT for the outstanding dedication of her group to keep a mile of the the Beeline Highway Highway free of trash.

Jayson Micajah FitzGibbons passed away on March 8, 1987 at three years of age after battling liver cancer for about 18 months. Streich said he never complained during the chemotherapy treatments. After his passing, Streich went back to school and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in social work and grief counseling in order to help others dealing with significant losses.

"I wanted to do something more," Streich said. "Then one day, I was driving along the Beeline Highway and I saw an Adopt a Highway sign with someone's name on it and I said that's it!"

With the help of ADOT employees, Streich was able to adopt a segment of State Route 87 and has been cleaning up that corridor with family and friends for the past five years. They meet four times a year to clean the highway and have a tailgate lunch afterwards.

This past year, the group cleaned up the highway five times and picked up 81 bags of trash. For their efforts they are being honored, along with eight other groups statewide, during ADOT's annual Adopt a Highway Appreciation Day on July 16 at Chase Field. The Adopt a Highway groups will be treated to a ballgame as the Diamondbacks take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The event publicly acknowledges all 1,500 Adopt a Highway groups from across Arizona.

"It is an honor to recognize these individuals for their example of living thoughtfully and serving the community through action," said Susan David, board chair for Keep Arizona Beautiful, which sponsors the Arizona Adopt a Highway recognition event.

For Streich and her family, the Adopt a Highway program has made a huge impact in their lives.

"It's given back to us more than we've given to it," Streich said. "It's a labor of love and a healthy way to grieve the loss of precious Jayson."