CLARENCE CENTER, N.Y. — Monday marks 15 years since Flight 3407 crashed just outside of Buffalo. All 49 people on the plane were killed, and there was one casualty on the ground.

Those who lost loved ones since the tragedy have never stopped fighting to keep others safe while flying. Love, generosity and persistence are the first words that come to mind when describing how these families have given back to New York and beyond.

Flights continue to make their way over the 3407 memorial in Clarence Center as they head to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

“I remember sitting on that porch right there a day or so after the crash when they took us here in and busses to see there were still remains or, you know, smoke and smoldering," Ron Aughtmon recounted. "And it's just, you know, never should have happened.”

Aughtmon lost his uncle John Fiore in the plane crash on Feb. 12, 2009.

“He was scheduled to retire as a plant manager at Washington Mills in Niagara Falls when the plane crashed,” Aughtmon said.

John spent 30 years serving in both the Marine Corps and the Air Force. His son had special needs.

“We wanted a way to give back in his name and carry on his legacy of giving back to the area, to the country," Aughtmon said. "So, we started up a golf tournament."

Nearly 14 years later, through the tournament, meat raffles and other fundraising efforts, the John Fiore Foundation has donated more than $600,000 to Western New York organizations and families in need of financial support.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword because I wish we never had it,” Aughtmon smiled. “But you know, it is the reality of it and we've tried to make the best of it.”

It’s given them a family.

“We call ourselves the family, the second family that we've never wanted,” Aughtmon smiled.

John and Marilyn Kausner’s daughter Elly was killed in the crash. She was just 24 years old.

“We have built these relationships, and we really are family,” Marilyn said.

Turning tragedy into charity has bonded them. So has their more than 100 trips to Washington, D.C.

“Every two years, we elect a new Congress,” John said. “So we've had eight new Congresses, and you have to go down and re-educate those that are new to the Congress. They don't know anything about it.”

They also stress the importance of the Airline Safety Act of 2010. It set a new standard for crew rest requirements and limited duty times. It required airlines to disclose who was operating the flight. A pilot database was also added. It also ensured all pilots log 1,500 flying hours before they are eligible to fly a commercial plane. Airlines challenged this requirement again, saying the rules have contributed to pilot shortages.

“They say the hours don't have any correlation to safety,” John said. “The response is, well, you may feel that way, but in 15 years since we raised the hours, there have been no crashes. In the nine years before that, there were six. So use whatever metric you want. There seems to be a correlation.”

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled pilot error and a lack of training were the causes of the Flight 3407 crash.

Creating safety standards is just one way the Kausners have given back. There's also Elly’s Angels.

“It has a bittersweetness to it, to continue to move forward and make Elly’s Angels,” said Laura Voigt, Elly's sister. “But I would never trade the experience of creating Elly’s Angels and sharing her life and the beautiful person that she was.”

Elly’s Angels gives kids of all ages opportunities, inspiration and financial assistance. Voigt says it’s about showing kids there is always hope even in the darkest of times.

“When Elly died, everything was not OK,” Laura said. “It took a while to understand that life has pain and unbelief about heartache. And right beside it is beauty and love and rebirth. Like he said, beauty from ashes.”

No matter how much it still hurts, they say they will continue their push for safe skies and honor those they’ve lost.

“It’s a constant fight that we're never going to give up," Aughtmon said. "And, you know, the other members of the families of Flight 3407 are just truly amazing.”

Monday evening at 5 p.m., 3407 families will lay a wreath at the memorial site in Clarence Center. The public is welcome to attend.