Jonah's story
Jonah Baney was nineteen years old. He had a steady job, a close-knit family, and the kind of friends who still show up for our events years later.
On June 14, 2022, Jonah was involved in a two-vehicle crash on a road he had driven countless times before — on a short trip he made all the time. He was not wearing a seat belt.
We talk about Jonah in the present tense in our home, because that's how grief works. The foundation is one of the ways we keep him present in the world — by turning the lesson from his death into something that can save someone else.
If our work changes even one habit — if one teenager buckles their seat belt before pulling out of a parking lot — then this foundation has done its job. Every event, every billboard, every conversation increases the chance that it will.
Jonah loved golf, baseball, and the Dallas Cowboys. He attended Lansdowne High School, where he played baseball for four years, and later continued at CCBC. He was set to attend Salisbury University in the fall, with orientation scheduled for the day after he passed. Jonah had a strong desire to serve others and planned to pursue a career in law enforcement.
He was surrounded by people who loved him deeply — his brothers, Josh and Jake; his best friend Nick, who is like a fourth brother to our family; his parents, Bonnie and Tony; and his girlfriend, Kiera. Jonah also loved his dogs, especially his Golden Retrievers and his Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Guinness.
The Jonah B. Foundation exists to help prevent other families from experiencing the kind of grief ours lives with every day. Through promoting seatbelt use, encouraging safe driving habits, and giving back to the community Jonah loved, we aim to turn loss into impact. No family or loved one deserves this kind of grief. Wear a seatbelt — so you don't become another statistic.