Safe Kids Week deemed a success

Wrapping up on Saturday, Safe Kids Week could safely be called a success.
Organized by the Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition, along with everyone from Bell Canada to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Safe Kids Week was comprised of a series of events held to stress the importance of safety in the home.
The Great Canadian Home Safety Challenge last Monday saw local children inspect the home of Drs. Lorena Jenks and John Nelson, following a checklist to make sure certain safety precautions were made around the house.
Organizers were glad to see more than 100 of the home safety checklists picked up during the week, since it means people in the district are taking home safety seriously.
Last Thursday, the biannual Family Safety Day was held at Memorial Arena, where more than 13 businesses and organizations offered safety tips and provided demonstrations, including the fire department’s “Jaws of Life.”
Organizers estimate about 1,300 people attended the one-day event. Most notable were classes of school children who were eager to get their passports stamped at each booth in order to be eligible for prizes.
“The passports are a good idea because they make people stop and really check the information at each booth,” noted Doug Langtry of the RRVSC.
“People left [Family Safety Day] with the safety inspections in mind, and that was our goal,” he added.
Safe Kids Week wrapped up Saturday with a car seat clinic and fundraiser barbecue at the Safeway parking lot. Several OPP officers, as well as volunteers from the RRVSC, were on hand to check child car seats and ensure children were safely strapped in.
“The rainy weather has unfortunately affected the turnout but we still checked out around 22 car seats, and that’s something,” said OPP Cst. Cam Howard.
Of the 22 seats checked, only one passed the requirements outlined by Safe Kids Canada, a fact which really stressed the importance of bringing every car seat up to standards.
With a donation of hot dogs and drinks from Safeway, the barbecue raised $100 for the RRVSC.
Overall, Safe Kids Week “went over really, really well,” enthused RRVSC chairman Doug Anderson.
Impressed with the number of volunteers, and the smooth co-operation among- all the parties involved, Anderson summed up the community effort by saying, “We’re all working together on this.”