“We’re here to say thank you to three very special people who came up with an idea that has helped keep our kids safe for half a century,” said Sheriff Chris Clark.
In 1975, the three saw a need in the community for kids to know how to stay safe, look both ways before crossing the street, watch for cars and know what to do in an emergency, so they started a program called Safety Town, Clark said.
“Instead of just wishing someone else would do something about it, they did it themselves,” he said.
When the program started, it didn’t have buildings or high-tech equipment, but had two-by-four slats of wood on the ground like streets and kids rode pedal tractors to learn how to follow road rules.
Over time, the name changed to Safety Village, but “the lesson, the importance and the impact to our youth has not,” Clark said.
Since the three cared enough to start this program and the Clark County Farm Bureau stepped up to fund it, it’s “been going strong ever since” and remains widely popular in the community.
For 50 years, children in the county have learned to stay safe of the road, at home and in the world, Clark said.
“Think about that ... 50 years of kids bringing home what they learned, teaching their little brothers and sisters, reminding their parents to buckle up and to watch their speed,” he said. “When Sharon, Barb and John started, they didn’t just teach safety. It gave kids confidence, parents peace of mind, and our whole community a tradition of what we can be proud of.”
They promised to keep the program going for another 50 years and beyond because they owed it to Waddle, Harbage, Loney and the children, Clark said.
“Thank you for dreaming up Safety Village. Thank you for caring about our kids, and thank you for proving that a good idea, a little lumber and a lot of heart can make a big difference in Clark County,” he said.
Deputy Sean Lyle, who is a D.A.R.E. officer and does Safety Village, said the impact over the last 50 years is “unreal.”
“You talk about a community impact award, 50 years strong ... We’re very grateful (and) also grateful along those 50 years of people that have helped out,” he said.
Lyle said it does make a lasting impact and impression. For example, he was at a D.A.R.E. class at a local high school when a student came up to him and showed him a photo of him with the student when they were in Safety Village. He said the student looked at him and told him the first thing he still does is buckle up.
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