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Preventing Accidental Injury. Contact: Jan Stegelman, 785-296-1223, or |
MEDIA ADVISORY: Kansas Kids Fitness & Safety Day 2008
Special Day Promotes Activity, Safety, and Nutrition
WHO: |
Governor’s Council on Fitness |
WHAT: |
KANSAS KIDS FITNESS AND SAFETY DAY 2008 : 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 20,000 third graders, their teachers, and parents will be participating at 40 host sites in events to promote physical activity and to celebrate the 20 th Anniversary of Safe Kids Worldwide and Kansas Safe Kids Week 2008 – “Gear Up for Safety”. KANSAS SAFETY STAR 2008: Lauren Michalson from Overland Park, Kan. will be present to share a personal safety message with kids. Lauren’s brother, Tommy, was killed in a July 2006 skateboarding accident. KANSAS PARENT ADVOCATES: Ashley Cole of Wellington, whose son Lucas drowned in September of
2005 at age 19 months, and Cheryl Michalson of Overland Park, Kan. will be present to share their safety message
with Kansas parents. |
WHEN: |
Cedar Crest Event: Friday, May 2 |
WHERE: |
McLennan Park at Cedar Crest, 6 th and Fairlawn, Topeka |
WHY: |
Accidental injures are still the leading killer and disables of Kansas children ages 1-14. This year Safe Kids is focusing on the top 10 safety tips for parents that will have a major impact on reducing accidental childhood injuries and deaths. The 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted in Kansas, 25 percent of Kansas youth were overweight or at risk for overweight. At the same time, 55 percent of Kansas youth reported that they did not participate in the recommended amount of 60 minutes of physical activity per day on five or more days per week. |
Note to the Media:
Attached are a list of the regional
and local host sites around the state and lists of schools participating in the
Cedar Crest and
Ft. Larned events.
On April 28, Safe Kids Worldwide will release a report outlining the trends in unintentional childhood injury
mortality and parental views on child safety in the last 20 years. A copy of the report and the parent safety checklist
will be available at the May 2 Cedar Crest event. A backgrounder on
Lauren Michalson is also attached.