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1000 SW Jackson
Suite 230 Coordinator: Executive Committee: Dennis Cooley, MD John Drees John Halbran Jim Keating Elena Nuss Cindy Samuelson |
Safe Kids Kansas Receives Grants for Safety ProgramsBooster Seats and Bicycle Helmets to be distributed to Kansas Kids( Topeka, KS) –Safe Kids Kansas today announced the receipt of a $25,000 grant from the Topeka Community Foundation to support child passenger safety efforts in 10 Northeast Kansas counties. Grant funding will be used to provide public education and booster seats to low income children in Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Lyon, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties. “This grant will enable us to distribute over 1400 high back and backless boosters through our local Safe Kids coalitions and chapters in the 10-county area,” said Jan Stegelman, Coordinator of Safe Kids Kansas. The boosters will be distributed at local events at which nationally certified child passenger safety technicians will provide individualized, hands-on training in the proper use of booster seats. “This will be an opportunity for parents and caregivers to learn about booster seats and receive a seat that fits their child and vehicle style.” A new Kansas law, which took effect July 1, 2006, requires children ages 4, 5, 6 and 7 who either weigh less than 80 lbs. or are shorter than 4’9” in height to be placed in booster seats. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Kansas children in the 4-7 age range. Booster seats used properly with safety belts have been proven more effective than safety belts alone at reducing the risk of injury to children involved in a crash. One of the primary programs of Safe Kids Kansas is the Safe Kids BUCKLE UP program, designed to increase the number of Kansas children properly protected by a child safety seat, booster seat or seat belt. Since the program began, over 16,000 child safety seats, booster seats, and special needs child seats have been distributed by the Coalition to low-income families. The Coalition operates two Mobile Child Safety Seat Check Up Vans to facilitate child safety seat checks and distributions in local communities. In addition, Safe Kids Kansas is the recipient of a $15,000 grant through the Kansas Department of Transportation to provide bicycle helmets and safety education to Kansas kids. The grant will support programs and events in 40 Kansas communities. The Safe Kids Kansas CYCLE SMART program is designed to increase the number of children protected by bicycle helmets by making reduced-price and free helmets available to Kansas kids. Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 88,000 helmets have been distributed. The program has been credited with 10 lives saved.Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide , a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. |
