For Immediate Release

October 31, 2002

Contact: Jan Stegelman, 785-296-1223

KANSAS SAFE KIDS COALITION RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARDS

Kansas SAFE KIDS recently received the National Excellence in Accountability Award for 2002 from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. The award was given in recognition of the Coalition's efforts to increase the correct use of child safety seats through the SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP program. SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP is co-sponsored by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, General Motors and the United Auto Workers. Jan Stegelman, Coordinator of Kansas SAFE KIDS accepted the award from Robert Lange, GM, Cindy Suemnick, UAW, and Marty Eichelberger, M. D., National SAFE KIDS Campaign president during the National Leadership Conference held in Washington, D.C. During the conference, the Coalition was also awarded the Bell Sportsmanship Award for 2001. Bill Fry, CEO of Bell Sports, and Kathy Hoffmann, Bell Account Specialist, presented the award for Outstanding Performance by the Coalition through the Kansas SAFE KIDS CYCLE SMART program.

Kansas' SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP program has distributed over 4000 child safety seats and booster seats to low income families in Kansas. The Coalition also operates two Mobile Car Seat Check Up Vans to facilitate child safety seat checks in local communities. In the last three years, 6000 seats have been checked at over 200 van and community check up events. Kansas' BUCKLE UP program has been credited with 8 documented lives saved in the past two years.

The KANSAS SAFE KIDS CYCLE SMART program is designed to increase the number of Kansas children protected by bicycle helmets. Since the program's inception in 12993, more than 60,000 helmets have been distributed to Kansas children. The program has been credited with at least 8 documented lives saved. The program is also a recipient of the Secretary's Award for Excellence from Health and Human Services.

Kansas SAFE KIDS is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national non-profit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury - the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. In addition to the Kansas Coalition, local Coalitions and chapters are located in Anderson, Barber, Clay, Doniphan, Douglas, Ford, Franklin, Johnson, Marion, Montgomery, Osage, Pottawatomie, Rice, and Shawnee Counties, as well as Chanute, Hutchinson, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Norton, Pittsburg, Salina, and Wichita. For more information, visit www.safekids.org.