16 Westminster Window
October 18, 2012
Child safety stressed on heels of abduction, killing By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com Stephanie Sakal has taught her 3-year-old daughter Addison her entire name, her birthdate and where she lives. But, the 31-year-old Westminster resident said she is always concerned when her daughter wanders off and wants to explore the world on her own. “A lot of the times she feels the need to go run off and do what she wants to do, so I’ve tried to make her understand that she can’t do that,” Sakal said. “She could be taken by some random stranger and they would not ever bring her back.” Sakal said the Jessica Ridgeway’s abduction and murder last week brought the importance of safety home for her daughter, who cried after hearing about Ridgeway’s death. This weekend, Sakal was not the only concerned parent in the community still holding their children a little closer. On Saturday, she was one of many people who converged on the Pro Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram car dealership to participate in a safety event by DNA LifePrint, a child safety organization sponsored by America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh. “It’s an absolutely amazing response,” said Pro Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram general manager Jeff Schenden, who estimated the crowd at 1,000. “We’re glad that we’re able to help some. We’re kind of figuring that if we can just help one, we’re doing our job.” Throughout the day, Thornton Police Department officers provided child safety information to community members and their young children and created a disk for parents holding crucial information on their children, including fingerprints, palm prints, a journal of information of the child and a digital photograph. Schenden said the information is important for parents to have so law enforcement officers can issue an Amber Alert in seconds. “We need to protect ourselves and we need to protect our children and this is one way to make sure that if anything horrible like that ever did happen, they have the information that they need for law enforcement officials to get the message out as fast as possible,” Schenden said. By the end of the day, when the last person filed out
Megan Sebastian of the DNA LifePrint Child Safety Program takes fingerprints of Ella Weakland Saturday at Pro Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Thornton. Photo by Andy Carpenean of the car dealership at 7 p.m., Schenden said DNA LifePrint was able to provide information and services to 410 children in the community. Schenden said this is the second time the car dealership has hosted the event. Shortly after the first one was held this April, Schenden said he made arrangements to host the event on Saturday. Schenden said he could not have imagined how timely the event would be. “Kids are our lives and parents understand that more than anybody that the children are our future, and keeping them safe is our number one goal,” Schenden said. “I think safety is at the forefront of parents’ minds and they are more of it because of what happened, but I don’t think it is more important today than it ever has been.”
HERE ARE FIVE BASIC SAFETY TIPS PARENTS CAN DISCUSS WITH THEIR CHILDREN: • Memorize your full name (first, middle and last) and complete address, including city, state and zip code. • Memorize your phone number, including area code, and how to dial 911 for emergencies. • Do not put your child’s name or have them put their name on any clothing, jewelry, hats, caps, jackets, t-shirts, bikes, or on other items that people can see. • Do not play in isolated areas or take short cuts through dangerous or deserted areas, such as fields, ditches or vacant lots. • Always walk and play in groups, and practice the “buddy system” when walking home from school. Courtesy of the Thornton Police Department
Decorating tricks that treat your Halloween party guests While displaying ghosts and goblins is great for the kids and the standard for Halloween decor, how about getting into the spirit but with a bit more sophistication this year? If you are throwing a Halloween party
for those adults who are kids at heart, a spooky holiday theme can still be part of the festivities, but with a touch of panache. There are many directions you can go with a decoration theme. Certainly there are
the colors of black and orange that can be integrated into the decor and the use of pumpkins or candles, which still scream Halloween but can be displayed elegantly. Gary LaVasser, academic director in Set & Exhibit Design at The Art Institute of California - Hollywood, a campus of Argosy University, says that while everyone thinks of orange and black, consider the combination of dark red and black. At Halloween, any time black is used it represents scariness, and the dark red can be symbolic of blood. “For a more sophisticated look, combine dark red arrangements of roses, cover them in black hat veiling
so that you see the roses through the veil and tie them together with black satin ribbon,” he suggested. “If you want to go a little further, place the arrangement on an inexpensive black placemat and drip dark red nail polish from a few rose petals onto the placemat. It will look like the roses are bleeding.” LaVasser also has these tips for alternative but sophisticated Halloween decor: • Use vintage Halloween toys from the 1930s, 40s or 50s as part of the design. If they are worn they have more character. Combine them with garlands of silk fall leaves available at most
craft stores, tree branches or wheat and place on mantels or dining tables. • Paint objects black that normally are not this color. For example, jack-o-lanterns are orange so spray them black for a twist on a familiar item. Also consider painting real flowers black. To make objects more interesting, select different black textures such as using matte, glitter, satin, gloss or metallic paints. • The colors of fall are rich earth tones and these colors also associate with Halloween. Add a little “punch” by using a deep purple color. It can be an interesting contrast to oranges and gold tones. Also consider using
metallic gold, copper and pewter colors. You can paint leaves or pumpkins with these shades as well. LaVasser adds that one can look for inspiration among different cultures and how they celebrate certain holidays or Halloween. A Latino tradition is Day of the Dead, observed on November 1st and 2nd, which celebrates family and friends who have passed. “Day of the Dead decor includes folk art, candles, colorful flowers and bright ribbons together with skeletons,” says LaVasser. “This theme offers great options for Halloween.” Source: Brandpoint (Formerly ARA Content)
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