Hollister
– Local children can learn the mental and physical skills needed
to deal with troublesome strangers at a free safety seminar
Saturday.
Hollister – Local children can learn the mental and physical skills needed to deal with troublesome strangers at a free safety seminar Saturday.
West Coast Martial Arts of Hollister is presenting the program in conjunction with the nation Safe Kids Program.
Mark Preader, instructor at West Coast Martial Arts, said the event, which begins at 11am, is open to every parent and 5- to 12-year-old child in San Benito County.
Preader, who has a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do, will show children how to stand strong when confronted by a stranger. He said participants will be taught phrases such as “Back off!” and “Leave me alone!”
The seminar will also teach basic striking techniques that a child could use to fend of a would-be abductor, Preader said.
“The idea is not to teach them martial arts,” he said. “It’s to teach them safety.”
Lisa Monteon, who lives in Hollister, sends her 8-year-old daughter Katherine to Preader’s classes regularly. Monteon said she likes the self-discipline her daughter learns in the classes.
Monteon will be attending the event with her daughter to teach her how to deal with potentially dangerous strangers.
“It’s always a constant worry,” Monteon said. “You watch the news or listen to the radio or read the paper and it’s always on the back of your mind as a parent.”
Ernie Reyes, who began the West Coast Martial Arts chain in 1977 in San Jose, will make an appearance at noon, Preader said.
The Hollister Fire Department will send an engine and crew to the event at 1pm to teach parents and students home fire safety precautions.
Fire Capt. Bob Martin Del Campo said firefighters will demonstrate kitchen safety and how to clear brush around a home, and will also teach the younger children what a real emergency is.
“A lot of kids think when their older brother takes their GameBoy it’s an emergency,” Martin Del Campo said.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
