OUR MISSION
To provide the highest quality safety education and training available. This effort enables our citizens to help and protect themselves and others from accidental death, injury, and destruction of property.
ALLISON CARTER Safety Village Director
MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
I have always said that I have the best job in the county, and 12 years later, that is still the truth. I am privileged to serve as the Safety Village director, supporting the education team and the Safety Village Foundation. Through transitions, retirements and moves, we are still serving and providing the safety messages from our original mission. Since opening in 2009, we have educated and trained more than 365,000 students and residents in Cobb County. Our dedication to serving those most at risk has not waivered, and we continually increase the number of programs and services offered to the community. To best serve our residents, the Safety Village team stays current on safety topics and trends.
During 2019-2023, the outside village expanded, adding two new buildings and a storefront; we pivoted our education model, survived a pandemic, and continued to grow events with partners, like Safety Day in Spanish and CPR classes in English and Spanish. It is a privilege to serve in this role and support Cobb County.
Safety Village Director Allison Carter
SAFETY VILLAGE FOUNDATION MISSION
To serve as an advocate, develop partnerships, and secure resources in support of the Cobb County Safety Village.
MESSAGES FROM THE FOUNDATION PRESIDENTS
It has been an honor to serve on the Safety Village Foundation Board since its inception and as chair from Jan. 2022 - April 2024. Over the last few years, one of our primary focus areas was to secure resources to complete an exterior restroom facility and gathering plaza on the Safety Village campus for the more than 25,000 children who visit annually. We are so appreciative of the Safety Village Foundation and the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for a $550,000 collaborative grant to make this a reality in 2024!
Lisa Crossman
Deputy Director, Cobb & Douglas Public Health
Safety Village Foundation President, Jan. 2022 - April 2024
MESSAGES FROM THE FOUNDATION PRESIDENTS
It has been my privilege to represent Georgia Power on the Cobb County Safety Village Foundation Board for more than 10 years, including the time I served as board president. At Georgia Power, our first and most important value is safety. We actively care about the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and communities. Our culture is built on safely approaching every job, every day. This always comes first. In addition to safety on the job, helping our employees create a safe environment at home is also a priority. The mission of the Safety Village ties directly to what our company strives to do for our employees and their families every day. The Safety Village is a tremendous asset to our entire community.
Al Martin
Area Manager, GA Power Company
Safety Village Foundation President, 2019 - 2021
FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS
Al Martin, Georgia Power Company
Brittany Wallace, Marietta City Schools
Cecelia Patellis, WellStar Health System
Chris Brown, Brown Capital Advisors
Chris Welchel, Welchel Enterprises
Corey Jones, GLOCK
Jason Saliba, Cobb County District Attorney’s Office
Jennifer Johnson-Lynch, BEL Weddings and community volunteer
Karen Hallacy, Hallacy Consulting
Kelly Metcalfe, Cobb County School District
Kevin Hyland (Treasurer), Sweet Water Wealth
Lisa Crossman (Chair), Cobb & Douglas Public Health
Lindsey Burruss, Cobb Travel & Tourism
Lynn Wigington (Secretary), Croy Engineering
Matt Eyrich, Loud Security
Megan Egan, Community volunteer
Megan O’Keeffe, UL Office of Research Experience & Education
Mike Ellington, MetroAtlanta Ambulance
Mike Register, Cobb County Department of Public Safety
Robert Quigley, Real estate agent
Sam Heaton, Community volunteer
Tiko Jones, Cobb EMC
OUR VILLAGE
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Allison Carter, Safety Village Director
Bill Johnson, Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services
Carl Crumbley, Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services
Lee Mathews, Safety Village Lieutenant
Melissa Chan-Leiba, Cobb & Douglas Public Health
Rhonda Anderson, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office
Ross Cavitt, Cobb County Communications Department
Stu VanHoozer, Cobb County Police Department
WHAT IS YOUR WHY?
“I do this for the children. One of the students I recently taught wrote in a thank you letter, ‘I love when we did the fire drill. Your passion for helping kids learn is twice as much passion as it is for me to learn from you, and trust me, there is a lot of passion in me to learn.’”
- Officer Scott Williams, 16 years of service
“We can connect personally with these young minds and not have them so attached to technology.”
- Capt. Dave Dwyer, 21 years of service
“I like teaching at the Safety Village because like some say, ‘If we can reach that one child it will make the difference,’ but to further that I want to reach them all.”
- Engineer Nathan Smith, 18 years of service
“Prevention of fire is why I enjoy participating in the programs at the Safety Village, and I love teaching the children how to make safe choices. Prevention will protect people.”
- Fire Educator Ellen Summers, eight years of service
“My reason for being a part of this program is not just for the enjoyment of teaching but for the results we get. I believe the county is safer because of what we do.”
- Firefighter Steve Saylor, 18 years of service
STUDENTS REACHED
OUR IMPACT
REDUCTION IN DOG BITES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY
In 2016, Cobb County Animal Services reached out to the Safety Village education team to create a module for second-grade students on what to do if you are attacked by a dog, how to safely approach or ask to pet a dog, and how to treat your pet(s) at home. We have been teaching this program since 2016 and the results tell the story.
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY EDUCATION
Tell me and I will forget; Show me and I may remember; Involve me and I will learn for a lifetime.
- Chinese Proverb
HIGHLIGHTS
The Cobb County Safety Village continued its commitment to educate our kindergarten, second and fourth-grade elementary school students in Cobb County, even during the pandemic. The education team pivoted during this time and added a virtual option for all three grades for the 2020-2021 school year. The following year, the schools each decided whether to attend the training in person or virtually, and 80 percent returned to the Safety Village. The goal was to ensure our youngest residents were informed and empowered to make safe choices.
In 2019, we partnered with the Marietta and Cobb County Police Departments to offer a new radKIDS summer camp. More than 70 students attended and learned about staying safe online, bullying prevention, fire safety and thwarting child predators. We have also partnered with several local schools to offer Spanish Safety Days, expanding our program reach to better serve our diverse community. In addition to these initiatives, we have broadened the scope of our educational offerings, including the middle school Underwriters Laboratory Xplorlabs, and have further developed our senior safety programs to support the well-being of our older residents. The Cobb County Safety Village remains dedicated to fostering a safe and informed community for people of all ages.
radKIDS
The radKids personal empowerment safety education program is the most comprehensive, activity-based program available today, and the only one that teaches, trains, and empowers with realistic hands-on skills to stop predatory violence. The radKids education and personal skill development curriculum helped save the lives of thousands of children across the nation from abduction, human trafficking, and sexual assault. radKids is the only bullying prevention program in the country that teaches a child how to stop a bully. The radKids curriculum teaches children ages 5-12. For more information, visit www.radkids.org.
SPANISH SAFETY DAY
Spanish Safety Day was born from recognizing a critical need. Through interacting with Hispanic communities, firefighter and police calls, and teacher feedback, we discovered the importance of culturally specific safety education. This day ensures vital safety information reaches the Hispanic community in their native language, addressing the unique needs and realities they face. Cobb County School District and Marietta City schools chose 5 local schools to participate, and it was a huge success. Bi-lingual high school students came to participate and gain volunteer hours for helping for this day. It was a wonderful day!
SAFE KIDS COBB COUNTY
Safe Kids Cobb County has continued to provide weekly car seat inspections utilizing the six-car bay established at the Safety Village to serve families in Cobb. Between 20192023, Safe Kids Cobb inspected 4,580 car seats. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Safe Kids Cobb successfully adapted services to meet Centers for Disease Control and public health guidelines. Car seat services transitioned to a virtual/in-person hybrid model. After receiving child passenger safety education through a virtual appointment, parents and caregivers came to the Safe Kids office at the Safety Village to receive a car seat. Safe Kids created guidelines and procedures incorporating CDC and public health recommendations to safely operate in-person car seat distributions. Those guidelines included a pre-service survey to gauge contagion exposure, temperature checks, a recommended level of social distancing, and the use of personal protective equipment. This hybrid model proved successful and allowed Safe Kids to adapt to social distancing needs while continuing to provide child passenger safety education and car seat distributions to families during the pandemic.
There was an increase in special needs car seat evaluations for children with special healthcare needs.
More than 2,100 car seats were distributed to families in need through the car seat distribution program.
Safe Kids staff certified more than 30 new child passenger safety technicians through the certification training program.
NEW BUILDINGS
New structures were added to the back village since 2019. The Safety Village school, sponsored by the Cobb County School District, Marietta City Schools and Cobb County Government, is an open instructional classroom that’s used in a variety of ways. GLOCK sponsored a finished-out ‘residential home’ that serves as another area for us to use while teaching students the importance of gun safety. Piedmont Injury Law is now a storefront sponsor and a great addition to our ‘Marietta Square’.
OUR FINANCIALS
of Financial Position End of Fiscal Year 2023
of Cash Flow End of Fiscal Year 2023
*Rounded to nearest 1000
HELP PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY
Cobb’s business and civic community is invited to participate in this unique learning environment. Your organization can purchase, or build, a reducedscale replica of your office or storefront. You can also sponsor a community feature. These structures are integral parts of the student learning experience. The Safety Village features four distinct areas: Marietta Square, the Commercial District, the Residential District, and the Industrial District.
Residents are also invited to donate any amount, large or small, to help us continue to provide the highest quality life-saving educational programs throughout our community.
For more information on getting involved and to help make a lasting impact on safety education in Cobb County, contact Allison Carter at 770-852-3272 or visit www.cobbcounty.org/safetyvillage.
OUR SPONSORS
Advanced Disposal
All-Star Lighting
Arcadis
Atkins
Atlanta Beat
Atlanta Braves Foundation
Atlanta Road Body Shop
Batteries Plus
Bluebird Bus
Butch Thompson Construction
Cat Recovery
CDH Partners
Charles Kastner
Chesley Brown International
Chick-fil-A Foundation
City of Kennesaw
Cobb County Bar Association
Cobb County Government
Cobb County Republican Women’s Club
Cobb County School District
Cobb and Douglas Public Health
Cobb EMC
Cobb EMC Community Foundation
Cobb Fire and Emergency Services
Cobb Police Department
Cobb Sheriff’s Office
Cobb Travel and Tourism
Colonial Pipeline
Color Spot
Controlled Access
Croy
C.W. Matthews
Dan Evans P.E.
Deluxe Athletics
DA’s Office - Cobb Judicial Circuit
Ed Voyles Automotive
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation
Gaskins Survey
Genuine Auto Parts
Georgian Northeastern Railroad
Georgia Power
GLOCK
Green Power EMC
Henssler
Howard’s Wrecker
Integrity Fire Extinguishers
Mr. Jim Croy
Junior League of Cobb-Marietta
Kennesaw Police Department
Kenworth
LGE Community Credit Union
Lindsey Tippins Construction
Lockheed Martin
Marietta City Schools
Marietta Kiwanis
Marietta Police Department
Marietta Wrecker Services
Maxair Mechanical, Inc.
MDJ Foundation
Metro Atlanta Ambulance
Mimms Enterprise
Mopdog Creative
Moreland Altobelli
Motorola Solutions Foundation
NAPA
PBS&J
Piedmont Injury Law
Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects
Procore Solutions
Randall Paulson Architects
Rotary Clubs of Cobb County
Scott Safety Foundation
Smallwood
Success for all Students
Trail of Wheels Bicycles
Vulcan Materials
Walton Communities
W.E. Contracting
WellStar Health System
