The National Safe Kids Campaign is the first national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury. It was launched in 1988 to address what was then a little-recognized problem: more children under the age of 14 were dying from accidental injury (motor vehicle crashes, fires and other injuries) than any other cause.
The campaign's goal is to stimulate changes in attitudes, behavior and the environment. The campaign relies on developing injury-prevention strategies such as conducting public outreach and awareness campaigns, stimulating hands-on grassroots activity and working to make injury prevention a public policy priority.
The campaign relies on the support of more than 300 state and local Safe Kids coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to reach out to local communities with prevention messages. These dedicated professionals and volunteers have distributed nearly 1 million bicycle helmets, 500,000 child safety seats and more than 100,000 smoke alarms to families in need.
South Peninsula Hospital and many other injury prevention groups on the lower Kenai Peninsula became involved with the Safe Kids Campaign in 1992, first as a chapter and later combined with Central Peninsula General Hospital to develop the Kenai Peninsula Safe Kids Coalition in 1996.
Since that time, Kenai Peninsula Safe Kids has distributed bicycle helmets and conducted a yearly bike rodeo. The group has done several car seat check-up events and has different types of car seats available for low-income families to keep their little ones buckled up safely.
For the annual Safe Kids Fair, several injury-prevention groups work together to present a fun learning environment that is interactive and provides important injury prevention messages.
Mark your calendar for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for our 13th annual Safe Kids Fair. Bring yourself, the children and pick up injury prevention tips in a fun and safe environment. We hope to see you there.
Sue Brooks, RN, is the coordinator for Kenai Peninsula Safe Kids. She works in the South Peninsula Hospital Education Department.
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