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Welcome!
Welcome to the July, 2005 Edition of Salem SafeKids
News!
This
months' installation of our first round of Child Watch signs
marks our first tangible action as a group.
Thanks
to all involved for their help and support!
Salem SafeKids
You've
Joined the SafeKids Network, Now What?
You've
read the news in our local papers of late. You made the decision
to join the SafeKids network. Now what? We've provided a wealth
of practical tips and suggestions that will help YOU to make
Salem a safer community.
1)
Need to head out for a gallon of milk or a mid-morning Dunkin'
Donuts run? Why not take the long way home? By taking a
couple of minutes to drive an extra block or two with every trip
out, you make note of things you might not notice taking your
regular route. See something suspicious? Remember, don't take
matters into your own hands- Our signs say it all- "We
report ALL suspicious persons to our local police"!
2)
Talk to your kids- We strongly suggest using this email as a
reminder that it's time to speak to your children again.
Always use age appropriate language and stay away from fear
tactics. Intelligent, constructive, suggestion-filled
conversations do a world of good in helping us all to "live
in the solution"!
Parents
should choose opportunities or “teachable” moments to
reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your
community, and your child asks you about it, speak frankly but
with reassurance.
Continued>>>
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You've
Joined the SafeKids Network, Now What?
Continued...
Explain
to your children that you want to discuss the safety rules
with them, so that they will know what to do if they are ever
confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have
“safety nets” in place, so that your children know there
is always someone who can help them.
3)
Get Active! Whether it's with Salem SafeKids, or many of the
other programs and agencies here in Salem. A small
investment of time by a lot of people really can help move
mountains.
At
SSK, we are always in need of folks to conduct internet
research (aka- surfing for helpful resources), as well
as active participation at our monthly SSK meetings. You
CAN make a difference!
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Safety
Tips
Speak
openly about safety issues. Children will be less
likely to come to you if the issue is shrouded in
secrecy. If they feel that you are comfortable
discussing the subject matter, they may be more
forthcoming to you.
Do not
confuse children with the concept of “strangers.”
Children do not have the same understanding of who a
stranger is as an adult might. The
“stranger-danger” message is not effective, as
danger to children is much greater from someone you or
they know than from a “stranger.”
Children
need to know that there will always be someone to help
them, and they have the right to be safe.
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Sign
Program
Update
The
week of June 18th, 2005 marks a milestone for the
Salem SafeKids program. Monday of this week
found our DPW installing the new Child Watch
signs. Placed strategically along all of the
inroads to a recently affected Salem neighborhood, we
send a real and powerful  message--
If you are thinking of committing a
crime against a child- THINK AGAIN!
The
sign program has been a AMAZING example of how our
community can pull together as a group to get things
done! Within a two hour window of a request for
a Child Watch sign sponsor, DeCola Paving heeded the
call. In under a two week window of time, we
moved from the concepts of our sign program to actual
installation of the first set of Child Watch
signs. A heartfelt thanks from the community to
the Salem PD for their support and the DPW for the lightning
fast installation. We can't forget Permaline Corporation
for offering a significantly reduced rate for the
signs.
Watch
in coming weeks for installations in areas adjacent to
our schools and parks! If you would like to
assist in sponsoring our next set of signs, we'd LOVE
to hear from you!
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Coming
Soon
We
are looking at several new SakeKids educational
initiatives.
SSK
Bumper Stickers -
Displayed for ALL to see. Not only will those
looking to commit crimes against children see our new
Child Watch signs, they will also see in and around
town more visible evidence that Salem is a dynamic
community in action!
Child
Safety Fair - We are currently looking for a few
dedicated volunteers to look at the possibility of a
summer Child Safetly Fair. If you want more
information about helping with this, please let us
know!
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New
at SalemSafeKids.org- We've recently added an Amber Alert Live
Notification!
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