ENFIELD — The 22nd annual Child Safety Day is taking place Sunday, Oct.13 from 2-4 p.m. at the Enfield Square Mall, 90 Elm St. It is a free and educational event focusing on the safety and well being of children in the community.
Attendees can meet first responders, check out their vehicles, get free child ID kits and car seat safety checks.
Participants for Child Safety Day include Thompsonville Fire Department, Shaker Pines Fire Department, Enfield Police Department, Community Health Resources, Connecticut Poison Control Center, Impact Teen Drivers, Connecticut Army National Guard, Operation Lifesaver, Connecticut State Police Recruiting and Selections Unit, Hispanic Health Council, the Network, U.S Coast Guard, Integrity Martial Arts and many more.
Integrity Martial Arts is a martial arts school in Enfield that is greatly involved in the community. Integrity Martial Arts certified black belt instructor and Community Liaison Janice Morton started the Child Safety Day event 22 years ago after she noticed there weren’t many opportunities for children and their families to meet first responders and learn about safety.
“I wasn’t seeing a comprehensive safety day in the area where different organizations can share the resources they have available all in one place,” Morton explained. “To have an annual event opens the doors for groups and people in the community to view what is available and what resources they can access.”
As a martial arts instructor and mother, Morton wanted to make sure children knew how to stay safe, which has driven her to teach self-defense, anti-bullying, and stranger danger.
“It’s important to not just learn specific moves, but to practice verbal and physical responses to be prepared for an emergency situation,” she said.
Morton wants people to have an appreciation for all the resources that are out there in the community, to be able to ask questions to those providers and have fun.
“It’s good for children to hear from experts who are able to teach them what to do and how to be safe,” Morton said. “If they can hear that message from multiple people, it’s something that hopefully will abide with them.”
This is a rain or shine event. In fair weather, the event will take place in the mall’s parking lot nearest to Elm Street. In the event of poor weather, the event will have vehicle displays along the sidewalk in front of the former Sears store. If it rains, informational tables would be moved inside the mall in the Center Court.
For questions, contact Morton at janice@integritymartialarts.com or 860-698-9226.
