Education and health fair focuses on nutrition
With kids out of school and the summer weather still mostly
mild, local parks are filling up with youngsters and their parents.
But the best day this summer to stop at nearby Dunne Park is
Wednesday, June 27 when the downtown park is transformed for the
14th annual Kids at the Park Day.
Education and health fair focuses on nutrition
With kids out of school and the summer weather still mostly mild, local parks are filling up with youngsters and their parents. But the best day this summer to stop at nearby Dunne Park is Wednesday, June 27 when the downtown park is transformed for the 14th annual Kids at the Park Day.
The annual event is a saftey, health and education fair sponsored by the Child Injury Prevention Coalition of San Benito County, formerly known as the Safe Kids Coalition, and this year’s event promises to offer plenty of fun and learning.
The usual suspects of kid safety fairs will be around, including local fire fighters with a fire engine, a California Highway Patrol car and even a Sheriff’s patrol car. There will also be a deejay to keep kids moving along from booth to booth. There will be as many as 30 booths set up and some of the organizations expected to show include Friends of the San Benito County Free Library, First 5 San Benito and the Hollister Youth Alliance.
“The main target range for our child injury prevention program is zero to 14,” said Suzi Hogeman, coordinator for the Child Injury Prevention Coalition and a health education associate. “But it is open to all children…Our whole motive is to get the family out and interacting.”
Hogeman and the coalition staff had some extra help with advertising the annual event this year. Assembly member Anna Caballero’s office made up post cards announcing the event and mailed them to households in San Benito County with women and children.
“They don’t have all the money in the world so publicity for the event is important,” said Robert Rivas, a legislative aide for Caballero.
While Caballero will not be attending the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event at Dunne Park, her staff will be operating a fingerprinting booth for students and will provide information for parents on the legislative process. The children will receive a sheet that has spaces for each booth at the park and when they stop by each location, they will receive a sticker or a stamp for completing an activity, such as having their fingerprints done.
“I’ve been to [the event] many times with my former boss, Simon Salinas,” Rivas said. “It’s a great time for students to go out and get to know the people in their community, such as those in public safety.”
The theme for this year’s event is nutrition and physical activity, so children will be given snacks of fresh fruit and a dance troupe will lead them around the park.
Another highlight of the event this year will be Safe Moves City – a mock city that teaches children how to safely navigate city obstacles such as bicycles, crosswalks and other barriers whether on foot or on a bicycle. The public health division will also set up a handwashing station that will show children how to properly wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs.
“It shows proper handwashing techniques,” Hogeman said. “Emmaus House will also be out there, talking about what a shelter is, what is domestic violence.”
Though the event is less than a week away, volunteers can still help and donations are still being accepted for the event. The Child Injury Prevention of San Benito County meets year round. For more information, call 637-5367.
