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Colorado Children's Automobile Safety Foundation
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12 May 2009
I hope this is not a late night rant. Work with me here. As followers of this web site and my activities know, I much prefer to be working with a family, at their car and answering their questions. I have posted on my web sites that I always prefer a phone call. To that end, I am amazed how many people email me, once, twice, three times, irritated that I am not responding. Sorry folks, car seats are in cars, not on computers. I may have 30 plus years around technology, but that does not mean I like to be a slave to it. To the contrary, I prefer to be away from in, working with families at their cars, in classrooms or the hospital lobby, somewhere where people are who want assistance. Please do not tie me to my computer, or any one of the web sites that I have. I may sit down and answer an email here or there, but it is not what I want to spend my time on. Additionally, and you folks know the type, there are too many people who take 11 emails to accomplish what a two minute conversation could. I give 50 plus hours a week to this safety program, unpaid. I love the time I spend, and give willingly. I would much rather assist, and assist, and assist, helping as many people as I can in a day or week or month. Expecting me to be here, at my keyboard, plunking away endlessly is not only unreasonable, it does not respect my time. Sure, I could take on more technology and talk while software types. But what about my tan? It is nice to go to the driving range on occasion and relax chasing a golf ball around. I like to work on my cars. Every day that I do I learn more, and that helps the families I work with. It also make sure vehicles in our family loaner program get the attention they need. I do add a feature or two on occasion, but that is when the Colorado snow keeps me inside. That did not happened much this past winter. So, if you have any car seat questions; use, recycling, fit, pre-purchase, you name it. Grab that 100 plus year old invention, the telephone, and give me a call. Thanks.
13 January 2009
Happy New Year and welcome to 2009. As Colorado Children's Automobile Safety Association-Foundation reaches its 10th birthday, along with our local Safe Kids coalition, Safe Kids Denver Metro, and our "parent" initiative for injury prevention in Colorado, Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle, the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute at the Children's Hospital, Denver, reaches its 15th, I have great cause for reflection. Yes, that was a long sentence, but it serves to highlight the relationships that bring us effective injury prevention education. For 15 years now I have worked to create, support and lead all of these organizations, and more. What do I have to show for all of this, the pride of commitment, along with the fatigue of follow through. The knowledge of success, along with the question of effectiveness. The satisfaction of organizational growth and satisfaction in seeing a decline in our regional injury statistics. Yet the question, have we done enough? The bottom line is we will never know. Why? Because there is no headline when a bicycle helmet protects a child when their bicycle crashes into a fence and a child gets to walk home with only cuts and scrapes. Because there is no news media called to report a child being safe in a "safe" crib or entertainer instead of a heirloom crib or baby walker. Because a car crash with minor injuries looses our interest instead of hearing the siren call signaling the need for first responders. Yet, these are all signs of success.
On my page you can read about my passion for technology, my commitment to safety, my zest for life and my love of the mechanicals of cars. I will let you indulge yourself there if you wish. Central to most all of this is the community service organization, Kiwanis. Again, this is something you can explore on your own. My commitment to my communities has many layers. Underlying all of the layers are the Scouting pillars of Oath, Laws, Motto and Slogan. Details of these can also be found through other links. In all of my service to the community, most all has been as a volunteer; unpaid. An average week in 2008 saw me giving 50 hours of my time to safety. An occasional teaching or consulting gig would net some compensation for my time. Anything that is done as a labor of love is not done for the money. As such, I appreciate all donations to our foundation and all payment, but none is expected. When one commits to volunteering, even if one is a paid professional, the obligation was to volunteer. The gift of payment, following the activity is that, a gift, and should not be expected. When we volunteer, as often and challenging as that can be, the community and greater good benefit. If we only do what we are paid for, we will likely live a dull and uninspired life. Cheers!
19 November 2008
In the world of public safety we struggle, at least I do, with the notion that we are doing good with a goal of protecting every child from the preventable injuries caused by a car crash, if one were to happen. I have two added battles that challenge me most every day. First, with the exception of a local police officer, I am the only resident of my community who is a child passenger safety specialist. This is a community of 100,000 plus, and I get my work out, as a volunteer, daily. Second, I have worked from home in my "other" job and assisting with transportation safety for 9 years, 8 of them with out challenge. In the past year, I had continual challenge by neighbors and public officials, all over doing good from my home. Go figure. As this frustration has just come to a head in the past 24 hours, I will chill a little more and add some of the details in the next 24. If you are interested in this issue, please call me, lend an ear and see what suggestions you may have. Thanks.
5 October 2008
Time flies, and soon the beautiful Colorado snow! I am motivated to write as I hear a shout out to one of my favorite web sites by two of my favorite radio personalities, Click & Clack, the Car Guys. MotherProof.Com has released not only a new web site, but some web video on safety and car seat topics that I am privileged to be featured in. Follow this link, http://www.motherproof.com/advice-safety/story/when-is-it-time-to-put-your-child-in-a-booster-seat/, and we address the booster seat issue along with the recently released IIHS study on booster seats effectiveness.
2 January 2008
24 June 2007
Mother Proof : A quest for the quintessential mom-mobile
If you have been watching this space, sorry, too many car seats, too little time. I have been teaching CPS technician classes in Colorado & Nebraska. And I have been learning cool things from students! The web site featured here is one of them. Check it out yourself. I ran across it a year or two ago and recently had the web site founder, Kristin Varela, as a CPS technician student. Great resource for moms and a mom who is going places! I've got a few rants to post and I will fill in the missing entries.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 12 May 2009 07:37 )
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