In the weeks after her 6-month-old daughter died in August, Tammy Russell says, every day was a fog of despair. Yet there was one thing that was absolutely clear.

"I made a promise to her that I was going to do something to help some other child," Russell said. "That her short life would make an impact."

Russell's daughter, Kaitlyn, died Aug. 15 after being left for hours in a van. Investigators estimate that the temperature inside reached 130 degrees before the infant was found.

Since then, Russell and her mother, Laura Petersen, have founded 4 R Kids Sake, a nonprofit organization targeted at increasing awareness of the threat vehicles pose to children.

Leaving infants in hot cars is only one danger people need to know about, Russell explained. Others include children who accidentally put a car into gear, strangulations from automatic windows, trunk entrapments and children accidentally run over in driveways.

"There are so many things that can happen to children unattended around vehicles," Russell said. "I don't think most people are even aware the tragedies that can occur."

That mission is shared by another nonprofit organization, Kids 'N Cars, based in San Francisco.

"People don't think of the car as a threat," said Kids 'N Cars co-founder Janette Fennell. "In reality, it is a lethal 2,000-pound hunk of metal and has to be treated as such."

Kaitlyn died of hyperthermia after being left for at least two hours in a van outside a home near Lake Mathews. Investigators estimate the temperature in the Chevrolet Venture reached 130 degrees during that period.

. . . . . ., the baby-sitter for the child that day, has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and felony child-endangerment. The 35-year-old Corona woman is free on $25,000 bond.

Just days later, 4-month-old Kevin Thomas died in Needles under similar circumstances. The infant's father, Steve Ray Thomas, 33, had left the baby in the car after unpacking from a day trip at the Colorado River.

Thomas was not arrested, and the San Bernardino County district attorney's office has not decided whether to press charges.

Within two weeks of Kaitlyn's death, Russell and her mother began researching information available on such events and made a distressing discovery.

"There is not a surveillance system in place looking at this," Petersen said.

While there are databases that record child deaths and some that generally indicate the causes, there is no resource that records the specific types of accidents.

The Russells contacted Fennell's organization and began looking into ways to let the public know about the dangers vehicles pose to unattended children.

4 R Kids Sake has already participated in the formation of a statewide panel that is looking at the issue. Formed this month, the 25 members represent child-advocacy groups, law enforcement, health-care and government agencies from across the state.

The group is slated to complete work by March, Fennell said.

For now, 4 R Kids Sake has concentrated on circulating informational fliers with Kaitlyn's picture on them at schools, doctors' offices and other places parents might see them. All of the information is also available on its Web page.

"This is something we intend to do long-term," Russell's father, Ron Petersen, said. "We are going to be a thorn in people's side about the awareness of these dangers."

Letting other people know about the loss of her daughter is one of the most effective tools the family has to do that, Russell said.

Kaitlyn was born Feb. 8, a month premature and weighing just under 4 pounds. It was weeks before the family could bring her home. During that period the family had to constantly monitor her body temperature to ensure she was warm enough.

"She was a fighter," Russell said. "After six months, she was up to 13 pounds. A healthy, happy baby."

Although she has two other children, ages 4 and 2, the pain of her daughter's death is ever-present.

"It wouldn't have mattered which of my children it was," Russell said.

"It's like the Grand Canyon through the middle of my heart that will never fill back up again."