News
January
2011
Safe Kids Cobb County Coordinators named Safe Kids Georgia Coordinator of the
Year!
 Amanda Walpole (Cobb and Douglas Public Health), along with
her Coalition Co- coordinator Lisa Gardner (WellStar Corporate and Community
Health), was the proud winner of the 2011 Safe Kids Georgia Coordinator of
the Year Award. Amanda and Lisa have a unique working relationship that
makes the Safe Kids Cobb Coalition the leading organization in the state
helping young families keep their children safe while riding on our
roadways. They received their awards at the Safe Kids Georgia 4th Annual
Awards Breakfast on Feb 1, 2011 held in Atlanta.
December 2010
 Safe
Kids Cobb County awards Regal Lager, Inc. – Corporate Partner of the Year
and Dianna Vaughn – Volunteer of the Year:
 During the annual Coalition Appreciation
Luncheon, Safe Kids Cobb County Coordinators (Amanda Walpole & Lisa Gardner)
name Regal Lager, Inc. their Corporate Partner of the Year. Since
partnering with Safe Kids Cobb County in April, 2010, Regal Lager has
strived to make child passenger safety a priority among it’s employees and
customers. Therefore, they vowed to provide an employee to assist with the
Child Safety Seat Inspection Station once per week for the remainder of the
2010 calendar year.
 Dianna Vaughn (Mom, Resident and Safe Kids
Cobb County Volunteer) volunteer of the year. Dianna has been assisting
Safe Kids Cobb County on a weekly basis at its inspection station for the
majority of the 2009 and 2010 calendar year. Dianna contacted Safe Kids
Cobb County to offer her volunteer services as a CPST after moving to
Paulding County in 2008. Dianna’s name was engraved on a perpetual plaque
that is displayed in the Safe Kids section of the Cobb County Safety
Village.
November 2011
Still Stampede
 Although
temperatures were close to freezing, students, parents and teachers came to
school on Saturday, November 6th to participate in half mile and
full mile races. Safety was promoted by separating the kids into age groups
to avoid small children falling down and getting hurt. Safe Kids Cobb County
(a Partner in Education with Still Elementary) gave out reflectors and
information on safety initiatives to parents and children.
October
2010
International Walk to School Day at Still Elementary & Hollydale Elementary
 International Walk to School Day is an initiative to
create safe routes to school and improve walkability. Safe Kids Cobb County
received a grant to partner with a school to walk monthly. This particular
Wednesday is an international event where kids are encouraged to walk to
school. At Still Elementary, there were over 120 kids that walked to school
for IWTSD. Many were repeat walkers from September but there were also a
handful of new walkers. The weather was great and the walk was very
successful.
Golf Tournament Fundraiser
 The
Public Safety sponsored Golf Tournament at Brookstone Country Club raised
over $25,000 for Safe Kids Cobb County! Over 140 golfers participated in the
tournament to help raise money to purchase car seats and other important
items for Safe Kids Cobb County. Many volunteers helped out with the event
from watching for hole-in-ones at certain holes, to handing out snacks to
golfers or manning the silent auction items.
Fall
Festival of Fun at Safety Village
 Every year Halloween is one of the
most dangerous days of the year for child pedestrians. Children under 15 are
more than twice as likely to be killed while walking on Halloween as on any
other night of the year. This year, Safe Kids Cobb County partnered with
the Cobb County Parks and Recreation Department, 4-H, Cobb County Public
Safety and the Junior League of Cobb County to host it’s annual Fall
Festival of Fun at the Cobb County Safety Village. The goal of the event is
to reduce pedestrian-related injuries to children. With over 3000 community
members attending, this year’s event was a huge success.
September 2010
First Walk to School Wednesday at Still Elementary
 There
are few children who walk to school on a daily basis. However, on the
morning of September 1st, over 150 students at Still Elementary in West Cobb
walked to school for an event sponsored by Safe Kids Cobb County. They
trickled into the parking lot of Mountain View Church on Casteel Rd just few
cars at a time but by 7:25am, the registration line seemed endless! It was
such a great sight to see so many children excited to be active and walking
to school instead of riding in a car or bus. Before the children left in
their fluorescent green shirts complete with a Still Elementary Eagle and
the Safe Kids logo, they had a mini-lesson on pedestrian safety. Looking
both ways before crossing the street and paying careful attention to common
street signs were the main topics of discussion among the K-5 crowd (plus
some parents). The event coordinators along with the staff at Still had no
idea what the event had in store: “We didn’t know how many kids would show
up. We were expecting the numbers to be around 10 or 25 kids but the
response was overwhelming- in a good way of course!”
Bike
Rodeo at LaBelle Elementary
 Labelle
Elementary School’s bike rodeo went very well. There were a number of teachers
and faculty who volunteered to help us out. The kids patiently waited at
each station for their turn to get their bikes inspected, helmets inspected,
to learn street signs and hand signals and finally, a series of interactive
tests designed to test the child’s braking, weaving and visual cues. Once
their passports were complete, they were permitted to ride in the free-ride
area. One of the most important lessons the students learned was the
importance of wearing a helmet when they ride. Over 70 helmets were
distributed because many children did not have them prior to the event.
There were a handful of students who did have helmets but about half of them
were not the proper size for the child. Overall, close to 100 students
participated in the event and each one who completed the rodeo received a
goody bag with a couple educational materials and some fun activities!
CPS
Week Celebration with Seat Check at Babies R Us
On September 25th Safe Kids USA and local coalitions across the
country (including Safe Kids Cobb County) participated in National Child
Passenger Safety Week Seat Check Saturday. Safe Kids Cobb County along with
volunteers hosted a Child Safety Seat Check at Babies R Us on Greers Chapel
Road in Kennesaw. Through the success of this event, we were able to
educate 32 families on their child safety seat and checked 37 seats. Please
visit the events page for a listing of all scheduled seat check dates.
August
2010
Pedestrian Safety Lecture at HeadStart
On August 19, 2010, Amanda Walpole and Lisa Gardner (Safe Kids Cobb
Co-Coordinators) spoke to 220 Pre-K students at the Cobb County Head Start
on Allgood Road about pedestrian safety. They started the lecture out with
a catchy song about crossing the street while acting out the parts. They
then went on to teach the students the 5-steps to crossing the street
safely:
Stop at the edge of the curb.
Look left, right, left and Listen.
Make eye contact and give a wave to drivers before crossing to be sure you
are seen.
Walk – don’t run – across the street.
Continue to look and listen for cars while crossing.
The students had a great time learning a valuable lesson on pedestrian
safety.
Seatbelt Relay at Pigs N Peaches
 On
August 20th & 21st, 2010, Safe Kids Cobb County hosted
an information booth at the annual Pigs N Peaches Festival. The information
booth was focused on booster seat information and education. While adults
received the safety messages for how their child should ride safely in the
vehicle, the children participated in a round of “Seatbelt Relay”. The
“Seatbelt Relay” game allowed the children to race a partner to see who
could buckle up the fastest. Through this activity, parents and children
were shown the correct placement for the seatbelt when riding in a booster
seat and what milestones are necessary to reach before the child can
graduate to the seatbelt alone.
Bike
Rodeo at Addison Elementary
The bike rodeo held at Addison Elementary was a huge success. Kids and their
parents were lined up all morning to get their bikes inspected, helmets
inspected and to learn about pedestrian/bicycle road signs and hand signals.
Once the child completed all the stations and the obstacle course, they were
permitted to do a free ride around a loop. Just about every child that
arrived had a helmet, but some did not properly fit; in which case, the
child was given a helmet that would adequately protect them while they rode.
Many of the kids already knew some of the hand signals involved with riding
a bike such as turning right, left and stopping. A handful of them knew the
signals, but just got them mixed up a bit. By the end of the afternoon, each
child could demonstrate the signals and had a smile on their face!
 July
2010
Safe Kids Cobb held a Bike Rodeo at Imagine International Academy of
Mableton:
On July 9, 2010 Safe Kids representatives spoke to 70 students at Imagine
International Academy of Mableton about the importance of bike safety.
Students in kindergarten through eighth grade participated in the bike
rodeo. The lecture cover safe places to ride, what to wear, hand signals,
traffic signs, and rules of the road. Helmets were distributed and students
were taught the proper way to wear a helmet. The students proceeded outside
where Safe Kids performed safety check on the student’s bikes. The safety
check included:
1.
Seat is secure and at the right height.
2.
Tires are properly inflated.
3.
Brake check.
Once the
students were checked off they were ready to roll! They spent the afternoon
riding their bikes safely. Students received educational material and
reflectors. Students had a great time learning a valuable lesson on bike
safety.
June
2010
Safe Kids
shares some bike safety tips on Cobb Fire’s 3rd Alarm:
June 2, 2010, Amanda Walpole (Safe Kids Cobb County Co-Coordinator) talks
with her friend Bubba about bike safety. Bubba received a new bike for his
birthday and wants to know how to ride it safely. Watch the
video to learn
more:
Safe Kids Cobb
Conducted a 4 Day Child Passenger Safety Technician Training
June 4,
2010 started the beginning of a four day child passenger safety
technician class. There were 14 participants including Cobb Fire Fighters,
Cobb Police Officers, and other community members.
The National Child Passenger Safety Certification
Training Program certifies individuals as child passenger safety
technicians. Once certified, technicians put their knowledge and skills to
work at car seat check events.
  
  
Car Seat Check Saturday:
On June 12, 2010 Safe Kids partnered with DFCS to conduct a car seat check
at Cobb Civic Center. During this 3 hour event Safe Kids helped 16 families
and checked 20 seats.
Safe Kids Cobb speaks at South Cobb Regional Library on Water Safety:
On June 24, 2010 Lisa Gardner (Safe Kids Co-Coordinator) spoke to 5 adults
and 10 children on the importance of water safety. The participants
demonstrated active learning when practicing the “reach or throw…don’t go”
rule. More details on the water safety lecture listed below.
Child
Passenger Safety Technician CEU Workshop:
Amanda Walpole (Safe Kids Co-Coordinator) conducted a continuing education
workshop for CPST’s. Eleven technicians participated in the education
course. The workshop focused on the LATCH system and new seats on the
market.
Safe Kids stocked Life Jacket Loaner Stations:
As a continued effort to keep kids safe while swimming Safe Kids stocked the
life jacket loaner stations at both Cauble Park and Dallas Landing on June 8th
and June 23rd. Safe Kids will maintain an active supply of life
jackets through the summer.
May 2010
Safe Kids Cobb
held a Bike Rodeo at Still Elementary School:
 On
May 1st Safe Kids spoke to 160 parents and 80 students about bike
safety. The bike rodeo consisted of safety stations where the Safe Kids
representatives covered safe places to ride bikes, hand signals, traffic
signs, rules of the road, and what to wear when riding. The stations were
set up to engage the students while discussing proper helmet use, seat
height, tire pressure, brakes, and reflectors. Students also participated
in a bike safety poster/essay contest where there were four winners: Mollie
Robertson (2nd Grade), Daniella Primiano (2nd Grade),
Jordan Wilfong (4th Grade) and Caroline Caden (4th
Grade). Each winner received a new bike courtesy of a Safe Routes to School
Grant issued to Safe Kids Cobb County in the fall. The students enjoyed
learning about bike safety and had much fun.
 
Car Seat Check
Saturday:
On May 22,
2010 Safe Kids partnered with State Farm to conduct a car seat check at Next
Care Urgent Care located in Mableton, GA. During the three hour event
certified child safety technicians helped 18 families and checked 19
seats.
Safe Kids
continued their efforts to promote safety in the month of May:
Safe Kids spoke to students at The Goddard School on pedestrian safety.
Safe Kids representatives visited The Mom’s Club of Smyrna, Westside
Elementary School, Kincaid Elementary school, and The Goddard School to
speak to students about the importance of water safety. Details of the water
safety lecture listed below.
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