Safe Communities Erie - Safe Kids Erie celebrated twenty years of service to the local area at the organization's annual meeting and awards luncheon. The group, funded entirely by donations, has grown from having 5 partners to 200 partners. Coordinator Patty Puline has seen a tremendous change in the community effort to keep children and families safe over those twenty years. "I think there's been a paradigm shift in thinking and behavior," said Puline. "People didn't want to put in car seats or wear bike helmets, they thought it was okay to smoke, there are so many things now where we've had a change in thinking."
Puline says some of those changes have ushered in new laws, such as the law requiring all infants and children to be secured in car seats when riding in vehicles. The Safe Kids organization has also made a difference in safety statistics by handing out equipment, from car seats and pack and play cribs to carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
At the annual luncheon, the organization recognized some of their partner organizations. LECOM was recognized for its efforts on poison prevention and encouraging people to properly dispose of prescription medicines. They also recognized individuals who have been behind the organization all twenty years, including businessman Nick Scott and Erie County Judge Stephanie Domitrovich.
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