Life Jackets, Legacy, and Lake Days: Travis Byers Brings Cristian’s Cause to McCook

McCook, Neb. - Travis Byers spends a lot of time thinking about water — how to enjoy it, how to navigate it, and most importantly, how to stay safe in it.

A business owner, kayaking instructor, and lifelong water enthusiast from Ogallala, Byers is also the chair of Crihstian’s Cause Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting life jacket safety and education. The organization, originally founded in Lincoln, was named after a father and son who were caught in a tragic float-tube accident at Pawnee Lake. The son survived. The father did not.

“Crihstian’s Cause isn’t religious, even though people often think it is,” Byers said. “It’s named after Crihstian Sr. and Crihstian Jr. We want to honor their story by making sure no one else ends up in that situation.”

Under Byers’ leadership since 2021, the organization has evolved from simply handing out free life jackets to launching education-based initiatives, loaner programs, and community partnerships that create safer outdoor recreation experiences across Nebraska.

Byers and his wife Kim were in McCook recently — not just for their eighth wedding anniversary, but to speak to the local Rotary Club about his work. As it turns out, it was a Rotary connection that brought him here in the first place.

“We met a few years back when Travis stayed at a local motel for a barrel racing event,” said Rotary member Ron Tompkins. “He saw the Rotary plaque on the wall, said, ‘Hey, I’m a Rotarian too,’ and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.”

Byers owns Always Kaffeinated, a mobile food and beverage truck, and runs a kayak rental and safety company in Ogallala. That passion for water, coupled with his dedication to public education, made him a natural fit for Crihstian’s Cause.

Teaching Safety, One Jacket at a Time

One of Byers’ proudest projects is the Life Jacket Trade-In Station outside the Ogallala YMCA — the first of its kind, as far as he knows. The concept is simple: families can drop off gently used life jackets and trade up for a better fit. It’s completely free and accessible 24/7.

He’s also piloting Life Jacket Loaner Stations near lakes and recreation areas. “It’s for when you get to the lake and realize you forgot yours,” he explained. “Or your kid outgrew theirs and you didn’t realize it until you pulled into the parking lot.”

But handing someone a life jacket is only part of the equation. Byers says education is the key — and that starts young.

“We do school visits, daycare programs, even library events. I bring a board game I created where kids ‘kayak’ down a river, learning about safety along the way. They love it,” he said. “And when a kid learns how to check if a life jacket fits right, they’ll go home and make sure their parents know too.”

He also teaches the proper way to wear a life jacket: “Straps tight, zippers zipped, and if it touches your ears when you lift the shoulders, it’s too loose.”

Byers noted that today’s life jackets aren’t the bulky, uncomfortable vests many adults remember from childhood. “They’re lightweight, they move with you, and when fitted right, you forget you’re even wearing it.”

A Vision for Every Lake

Crihstian’s Cause operates on a lean budget — often finding better deals at Walmart than through big-name outdoor retailers. Most life jackets cost under $10 when purchased offseason, and donations of gently used vests are always welcome.

“Our dream is to have trade-in or loaner stations at every lake in Nebraska,” Byers said. “Red Willow would be a perfect fit for one. They’re inexpensive to build — about $1,000 for a fully stocked unit with signage.”

The nonprofit has also avoided large-scale fundraisers, relying instead on small grants, Rotary support, private donors, and events like Kayak Big Mac — a chilly but exhilarating community paddle that raises awareness and funding.

Eventually, Byers hopes to publish a children’s book based on the board game and expand educational resources for families to use at home.

“We’ve been lucky,” he said. “But more than that, we’ve been supported. People believe in this work — and that means a lot.”

Byers and his wife Kim we’re recently guests at the McCook Rotary Club where he spoke about life jacket safety.

Up Next for Rotary

The McCook Rotary Club will welcome Dr. Dele Davies, Interim Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), as next week’s guest speaker. Dr. Davies will be in the area and has agreed to visit Rotary at the request of Brian Esch, current Chair of the UNMC Board. His talk will cover current issues and initiatives at UNMC with relevance to southwest and rural Nebraska. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 5 at noon, at the McCook Community College East Campus Building.