BURRILLVILLE – Anyone spending any time this weekend outdoors will completely understand why this Sunday cartoon is focusing on kids inside hot cars.
Hot cars are like ovens during hot weather conditions when you factor humidity and heat indexes into the equation. Never leave a child in a hot car when the weather is extreme, like it is this weekend. A child could perish in just a few minutes.
If you happen to be out and about when it’s hot outside and see a child or children alone in a hot car without parental or guardian care inside the vehicle with them, call 911 right away. When you are walking past parked cars and trucks this summer season take a moment to glance inside just to make sure that the vehicle is empty and nobody is in harm’s way.
If you are a parent or guardian of a small child please read this article and remember that safety should be of the upmost importance, and if it takes a few minutes to remove a child from a car seat or booster seat to keep them away from an unsafe situation, then please make the effort to do so. Better yet, print out this Sunday cartoon, and talk with your kids about hot car safety. Kids are great reminders of things they hear, see and read growing up. Believe me, they will remind you often about things you forget to do. If you see something, say something. Child safety is everyone’s business.
If you love parades, and have kids that love parades, the Buckleupallofus giant balloon is scheduled to appear in a televised Memorial Day weekend parade next Saturday, May 28, in the town of Avon, Mass., just up the road from Gillette Stadium. The parade begins at St. Michael’s Church on North Main Street at 11 a.m., with a family barbecue at the end of the parade route at the VFW located on East Main Street. The public is invited to attend. If you cannot attend the parade in person it will be televised on Channel 9. Check local listings for the televised parade schedule.
Watch for an entire Buckleupallofus balloon showcase appearance series the rest of the year across the region. Lynch Towing in Massachusetts is providing Bucky Balloon parade appearances by supplying a flatbed truck and driver for these parades free of charge to help support the “Buckle Up!” outreach efforts, and insure that Bucky’s summer safety messages reach little kids and families. Children Across America volunteers are also passing out kids safety educational and awareness materials to families attending these parades.
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades. Jim was also appointed to Children Across America as their events and creative director for their child safety programs initiatives and outreach kids safety campaigns nationwide.