1000 SW Jackson Suite 230 Coordinator: Executive Committee: Dennis Cooley, MD John Drees John Halbran Jim Keating Elena Nuss Cindy Samuelson |
MEDIA ADVISORY:
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WHO: |
Kansas Council on Fitness |
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WHAT: |
KANSAS KIDS FITNESS AND SAFETY DAY 2007 : Seven hundred third graders
from 16 Kansas schools will be running, jumping, and otherwise moving across the grounds of Cedar Crest
in Topeka. Statewide, over 17,000 third graders, their teachers, and parents will be participating at
39 host sites in events to promote physical activity and to celebrate National Safe Kids Week 2007
– “Make It A Safe Kids Summer”.
NATIONAL SAFETY STAR 2007: Lauren Michalson from Overland Park Kansas will be
present to share a personal safety message with all Kansans. Lauren’s brother, Tommy, was killed
last summer in a skateboarding accident. | ||||||
WHEN: |
Cedar Crest Event: Friday, May 4
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WHERE: |
McLennan Park at Cedar Crest, 6 th and Fairlawn, Topeka |
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WHY: |
Accidental injuries are still the leading cause of death for Kansas kids. Emergency personnel know summer as “trauma season” since preventable injury deaths and serious injuries to children increase dramatically. Through public awareness activities like National Safe Kids Week, Safe Kids Kansas seeks to educate parents and caregivers about potential risks to children and adults’ role in preventing injuries. According to the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results conducted in Kansas, 13.3% of Kansas
high school students are at risk of becoming overweight and 11.9% are overweight. The same survey
showed that only 41.3% of high school students participated in the recommended amount of 60 minutes
physical activity per day on five or more days per week. |
Note to the Media:
Attached is a list of the host sites around the state and a list of schools participating in the Cedar Crest Event. On April 30, Safe Kids Worldwide released the results from a U.S. study ranking each state according to its summer death rate from accidental child injury. A copy of the report, including details about the Kansas ranking will be available at the May 4 Cedar Crest event. A backgrounder on Lauren Michalson is also attached.