Sheriff's Safety Town: Caddo Parish Shreveport, Louisiana

I just love to learn that my tax dollars are going for a great cause, such as Safety Town. This is a much anticipated project that is finally about to be introduced. The safety of our kids is one of the most important concerns, not only for parents but for teachers as well. We care about our children and what better way to show it then to build Safety Town?

This is an entire mini town that teaches our kids safety, from fire to bike safety. It is an enclosed area where you will find miniature roads, then there are also crosswalks and buildings. The children will have many places where they can actually participate in the safety techniques.

All second graders will be taking a field trip there when they open. I know my little second grader is happy as she can be. In fact she is the one who told me about it. We will definitely need to make a trip there ourselves.

There are miniature electric cars as well as bicycles and pedestrians that will be in the mini town. Many aspects of safety will be taught. Some of these are vehicle safety, bus safety, bike safety, fire safety, pedestrian safety, electrical safety, railroad and gun safety.

We lost a child at the young age of 12 years old back in 2002. I remember it so clearly. Patrick Bethany would have been 18 years old this past October. He was riding his bicycle along the tracks and was fatally struck by an oncoming train. The small town of Vivian was devastated. This is one reason Safety Town was build. Patrick is one of many who have been injured or have died due to unsafe situations, in Caddo Parish.

Unintential injury is a leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1-14. There are more fatalities in unintentional injuries then there are in all diseases combined. What is sad is the fact that over 90% of these unintentional injuries could have been prevented. This is why it is so important that our children know all about safety.

Shreveport isn't the only city that has this Safety Town. There are studies in Maryland where parents are reporting that there is a significant improvement in their children's safety knowledge and practice.

There are many sponsors that we can thank for our Safety Town. Included is Willis Knighton Health System, Summer Grove Baptist Church, Kansas City Southern Lines (our railroad system), Junior League of Shreveport and Bossier City, Southwestern Electric Power Company, Barksdale Federal Credit Union, Shreveport Times and many more sponsors.

You may also support the project by becoming a partner. There are ways that you can have your company name or logo put on something within the town. Being a non-profit organization, you may also donate money to them as well. We are certainly looking forward to seeing this make a difference in the community.