I grew up in a small suburban town in Connecticut. I always felt safe running around the neighborhood with my friends and we had neighbors I knew I could trust. I was lucky that my parents made enough money to put food on the table, pay our bills, and keep me supplied with new school clothes every year.
I am happy to say that my kids enjoy a similar type of childhood, even though we live in the outskirts of a major city. Many kids in this area are not so lucky and that really tugs at my heart.
I was recently selected to participate in an Energizer Champions for Kids service project. One of the first questions that I was asked to investigate was “What are the greatest safety risks to children in your area?’ So, as I do with any question I need an answer for…I Googled it! The results were sad, but I wasn’t too surprised about most of the answers.
Homelessness, childhood hunger, lack of education, poverty, and physical and emotional abuse… are all issues that affect many children in my area. I was even horrified to learn that sex trafficking and the exploitation of underage children is a big problem here. Throw in things like ice storms, hurricanes, domestic violence, and drugs and it is no wonder our shelters and foster care homes are overburdened.
So, what is the Energizer Champions for Kids service project that I am working on? Champions for Kids wants to mobilize people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America.
Their goal is to mobilize 20 million people by 2020. This month they would like to focus on preparing a safety kit that will keep a child safe during a winter emergency. The Center for Disease Control recommends having an emergency kit ready that includes things like food, water, flashlight, extra batteries, medications, a first aid kit, sanitation and personal hygiene items, copies of personal documents, and other necessities. These are some of the items I will be shopping for next week when I put together my Champions for Kids emergency kit.
So, how can YOU get involved in this campaign? Here are a few simple steps to help keep children safe in your community:
1. Sign Up at www.championsforkids.org/simple to register your project and receive updates and support.
2. Mobilize the people in your community…encourage your mom’s group, book club, church, or your child’s elementary school to make donations.
3. Educate your group about the needs of your community by inviting a community representative to come and speak with your group.
4. Report the results of your project on the Champions for Kids website so they can keep track of their impact on your community.
So, next week I will be putting together a winter care kit to donate to my church. We work with the Lawrenceville Co-Op to donate not only food but personal care items, backpacks, school supplies, and many other much needed items. Stop by in a couple of weeks to see what sort of items go into my emergency kit.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
Awesome post, such a great campaign to be a part of, the church is a great place to donate this emergency kit, so many in need who can turn to the church!
Those are so scary childhood dangers! Yikes! It’s great that you are putting together a kit to donate and your church will definitely know who can use it!
I live in the same state as you do, Diane. I was horrified to learn that sex trafficking was a danger in our area. I think it is wonderful you are creating an emergency kit for donation. I’m unsure what items to include but looking forward to seeing your next post.
Diane – your giving heart always shows through in your posts. I am impressed with this giving mission and I can’t wait to see what you do with it. I’m sure the church will put it to good use!
The coop sounds like a wonderful organization. I can’t wait to see your project come to life!
What a great idea to include school supplies. I might have to borrow that idea for my kits!
I love the idea of community sharing with aim at keeping kids safe! I’ll be looking forward to learning more and seeing the kits you create!
Fantastic campaign, Diane. I can’t think of much else to add to your kit because it sounds like you covered all the bases!
Hand and foot warmers. Love ’em.
Great job! This is such a great cause. Hand warmers are a great idea too!