Safe Kids

Safe Kids
NEWZ
Fall/Winterr 2007
7
Safety Around the Holidays
The holiday season is a time for celebrations. With decorating the home, visiting family and friends, playing with new toys, and trying
new foods, there are important steps to remember to ensure a safe and happy holiday.
Att Home
Att Play
On
n the
e Way
•
Carefully select an appropriate
spot in your home for a tree.
•
•
Use an appropriate child
restraint for all children.
•
Use only tested and approved
lighting.
Select toys suitable to your
child’s age, abilities, and skill
level.
•
All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant.
Avoid toys with small
removable parts.
•
If buying a bike, scooter, in-line
skates or skateboard, remember
to purchase an age appropriate
helmet.
•
Be sure to read the labels on all
toys before allowing your
children to play with them.
•
Have all adults buckle up.
•
Never leave children unattended
in the vehicle.
•
In case of delays while on the
road or at the airport, be
prepared with snacks, soft toys,
and games for your child.
•
Walk around your vehicle before
backing up to ensure all children
are at a safe distance.
•
Once at “grandma’s house,” be
sure all medications are out of
reach of children.
•
•
•
Keep sharp or breakable glass
ornaments away from children.
•
Do not leave candles
unattended.
•
•
Holidays bring all ages together
in the kitchen, active supervision
of children is key to reduce the
chance of injury.
Be aware of poisonous plants
such as poinsettias, holly, and
mistletoe.
•
Watch for any recalled toys due
to lead paint, magnets, or small
parts. Visit www.cpsc.gov for
issued recalls.
Wear an appropriate winter
sports helmet when skiing,
sledding, or snowboarding.
The Importance of Recalls
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious
injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products. You can find information on over 4,000 product
recalls and recall alerts using the various searches on www.cpsc.gov.
Several key recalls focusing on children’s items have been announced in the past two months. They include:
• Britax Decathlon Convertible Car Seat
• Netto Collection Cribs
• Stokke Sleepi Crib Foam Mattress
• Graco Comfort Sport Child Seat
• Life is Good Inc. Zippity Children’s Hoodie with Drawstrings
These recalls are just a small sampling of the various products you will find on www.cpsc.gov. Please note that recalls are
typically limited to certain model numbers and manufacture dates, so please check your products’ labels carefully.
Safe Kids Mini-grants
And
d the
e awardeess are....
Safe Kids Pennsylvania provides three grant opportunities
each year to Safe Kids Affiliates. New Prevention grants
target a specific injury risk area and provide funding for
new program development. The Bike Helmet grant
awards 150 helmets to be used in conjunction with a
bike safety program. The Smoke Alarm grant awards 100
smoke alarms for home installation. The Start Up grant
provides new affiliates funding to start building support
and programming. All of these grants are awarded
based on a competitive review system. We thank all who
applied this year and encourage all affiliates to apply for
future opportunities.
CONFERENCES & TRAINING
• Safe
e Kidss Pennsylvania
a Statewide
e Meeting
g
November 8, 2007; Camp Hill, PA
www.pasafekids.org for more information
• Child
d Passengerr Safetyy Certification
n
and
d Renewall Classess
Various Dates and Locations
www.cpsboard.org for more information
Safe
e Kidss PA
A Directorr named
d Outstanding
g
State
e Coordinatorr off the
e Yearr
During the Safe Kids Worldwide
Conference in Washington D.C.,
Safe Kids PA Director Anne
Franchak was presented the
award for Outstanding State
Coordinator of the Year. After
accepting her award, Anne’s
remarks concluded with “I have
the best job in the world.”
New
w Prevention
n Mini-grants
Safe Kids Bedford County
Safe Kids Cambria County
Safe Kids Greene County
Safe Kids Southeastern PA
Safe Kids Wyoming County
Safe Kids York County
Bike
e Helmetss Mini-grants
Safe Kids Allentown-Bethlehem Area
Safe Kids Cambria County
Safe Kids Clarion County
Safe Kids Lycoming County
Safe Kids Southeastern PA
Safe Kids Wyoming County
Smoke
e Alarmss Mini-grants
Safe Kids Butler County
Safe Kids Carbon County
Safe Kids Clinton County
Safe Kids Erie Area
Safe Kids Fulton County
Safe Kids McKean County
Pictured above is Anne Franchak,
left, with Rosemary Suggs-Evans
Anne’s efforts have increased support for Pennsylvania’s
children by providing $100,000 in grant funding to Safe Kids
Affiliates for bicycle helmets, smoke alarms, and fall prevention programs.
Anne was nominated by Rosemary Suggs-Evans, Safe Kids
Worldwide Regional Manager, for this prestigious award.
Other nominees for the award were Jeanne Bietz, Safe Kids
Nebraska; Mary Borges, Safe Kids Washington State; and
Elaine Frank, Safe Kids New Hampshire.
Congrats to Anne on this well deserved award!
Safe Kids Susquehanna Valley
Safe Kids Tioga County
Startt Up
p Mini-grants
Safe Kids Jefferson County
Safe Kids McKean County
Safe Kids Perry County
Congratulations to all awardees!
Bicycle Safety Mini-grants
The purpose of the bicycle mini-grant project is to
increase bicycle safety and reduce bicycle-related
injuries. The primary target audience is children and
youth ages five to18 with a secondary focus on
adults.
During 2004, 14 bicyclists died and another 1,542
were injured in bicycle crashes. Children ages five to
14 represented almost half of all of the injuries.
Adults ages 15 to 34 accounted for 36 percent of the
total deaths and over 30 percent of the total injuries
from riding bicycles. (2004 Pennsylvania Crash
Facts and Statistics)
The factors that increase the risk of bicycle
injuries include lack of helmet use, poor
visibility of the bicycle and bicyclist, age,
inexperience of the rider, lacking an
understanding of the rules of the road for
bicyclists, and sharing-the-road ability of adult
drivers.
Coordinator’s Corner
Safe Kids Pennsylvania is happy to announce the
formation of a new affiliate, Safe Kids Jefferson County.
Susan Alexander is the coordinator and can be reached
at the Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County Office
in Brookville. Susan can be contacted at 814-849-7361
or [email protected]. Welcome Susan and Jefferson
County!
We also welcome Shawn Vovericz as the new
coordinator of Safe Kids Chester County. Shawn has
been involved in Safe Kids for several years as the “Most
Valuable Volunteer.” Shawn works at the Department
of Children and Youth in Chester County. Shawn can be
contacted at 610-344-5763 or [email protected].
A fond farewell is extended to Carolyn Best who has
retired from Chester County Highway Safety and Safe
Kids to devote more time to her triplets as they begin
their high school careers. Thank you Carolyn for your
many efforts to keep kids safe in Chester County and
best wishes for the future.
Holly Sloan has assumed the duties of coordinator for
Safe Kids Allegheny County. Holly comes to Safe Kids
from the Injury Free Coalition. She is a staff member at
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh which is the new lead
agency for Safe Kids Allegheny County. Welcome
Children’s Hospital and welcome Holly. Holly can be
contacted at 412-692-5931 or [email protected].
2007-2008
8 Mini-grantt Recipientss
City of Allentown Emergency Medical Service
Indiana Regional Medical Center
Neighborhood Bike Works
Office of Community Health, Memorial Medical Center
Safe Kids Butler County
Safe Kids Clarion County
Safe Kids Erie Area
Safe Kids Franklin County
Tioga County Department of Human Services
Tri State Foundation for Safety and Education
York County Sheriff’s Office
Congratulations to the 2007-2008 Bicycle Safety
Mini-grant Recipients!
Online Learning Opportunity
On August 21, 2007 Safe Kids Pennsylvania offered an
Affiliate Spotlight session entitled, "Back to School Safety".
This online training focused on both pedestrian safety and
school bus safety. Presenters
were Cheryl Gouker, Safe Kids
Berks County/AAA Reading
Berks; Fritzi Schreffler, PennDOT District 8-0 Safety Press
Officer; and Barbara Zortman,
Center for Traffic Safety.
To learn more about this
session and to view the
recording, please visit
www.pasafekids.org.
The next Affiliate Spotlight session will focus on Poison
Prevention and is being planned for November. If there
are any additional topics that you think would make for a
valuable session, please email your ideas to
[email protected].
VOLUNTEER
R OPPORTUNITY
Y - PENNSYLVANIA
A FARM
M SHOW
W 2008
The Pennsylvania Farm Show will be here shortly and Safe Kids Pennsylvania will once again be
part of the excitement. This year the event will be held January 5 - 12, 2008.
As in years past, we are in need of volunteers to help staff an information booth and distribute
literature. The work is simple, the shift is short, and it is lots of fun. We schedule three shifts each
day:
Morning:: 9:00AM - 1:00PM
Afternoon:: 12:00PM - 5:00PM
Evening:: 4:00PM - 8:00PM
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kristen Urso at 1-800-683-5100..
SAFETY
Y OBSERVANCES
SAFE
E KIDSS PENNSYLVANIA
A STAFF
Safe Toys and Gifts Month - December, 2007
Anne Franchak
[email protected]
National Handwashing Awareness Week - December 2-8, 2007
Birth Defects Prevention Month - January, 2008
National Blood Donor Month - January, 2008
American Heart Month - February, 2008
National Burn Awareness Week - February 3-9, 2008
Allyson Fulton
[email protected]
Kristen Urso
[email protected]
Carmen Gonzalez
[email protected]
275 Grandview Ave., Suite 200
Camp Hill, PA 17011
www.pasafekids.org
Safe Kids Pennsylvania
275 Grandview Avenue
Suite 200
Camp Hill, PA 17011
This publication is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Preventive Health and Health
Services Block Grant.
1-800-683-5100
717-763-1890
Fax 717-763-2083
NON-PROFIT ORG.
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