When Cadrien Livingston became president of Kids’ Chance of Nebraska (KCNE) in 2023, it was a bittersweet, full-circle moment. 

Cadrien was ten years old when her father was killed in a workplace accident. She grew up on a ranch with 300 cattle in Nebraska and her father had only recently expanded his work into farming. The accident took place during his very first harvest, and happened because of poor training and equipment. 

Her life has been directly impacted by that day in 2008, and the fifteen years since have been inspired by the accident and how similar accidents can be prevented in the future.

Cadrien graduated from high school in 2016 and became a KCNE scholarship recipient in her sophomore year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. An agricultural company, Gavilon, sponsored her scholarship for three years then offered her an internship with the company and a job upon graduation. 

She was involved with KCNE a little bit during her time as a college student, but volunteered officially a year after graduating in 2019. She joined the board in December 2020 first as the marketing coordinator for the marketing committee. In 2022 she became vice president, and this year became president.

Outside of her KCNE duties, Cadrien is the regional safety manager for Viterra, the same company which once operated under the name Gavilon.

“One of the biggest things for me is that I’ve come full circle — from the accident, to the scholarship, to Gavilon sponsoring it, to working with them full time,” she said. “I’m now able to share my dad’s story, show our workers in a very personal way that workplace safety has real consequences.”

One of Cadrien’s biggest goals as president is to spread the word about Kids’ Chance so that more kids can be helped. More outreach is needed, and there isn’t a better person to be the face of that story and outreach than Cadrien.

“I feel like I’ve turned tragedy into opportunity, taken one of the worst days of my life and turned it into something good through both my work and through Kids’ Chance.” 

About Kids' Chance

Kids’ Chance gives the kids of workers who have been injured on the job a chance at a better future by providing scholarships and support. Since 1988, Kids’ Chance organizations have awarded over 9,300 scholarships totaling over $33.2 million dollars. To learn more about Kids' Chance, visit our website at www.kidschance.org.

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