WILTON – Safety concerns in regard to water, sun and bicycles may not have seemed like very hot topics on Wednesday morning, given that temperatures were in the mid-40s and a light drizzle fell almost the entire day.
But for the kids at Cushing Elementary School in Wilton, the morning couldn’t have been much more fun.
“I’ve never seen so many enthusiastic little kids in my life,” volunteer Joyce DeWildt said. “Rain or no rain, we’re having a ball.”
The festive event, which was organized by the Wilton Police Department and was put on with the help of several different groups, was used to emphasize the importance of safety, and to keep the topic fresh in the minds of students as they prepare for the summer. A very similar event is also planned for Thursday at Academy Hill School.
“It was an idea of sending the kids out to summer vacation with the idea of safety behind them,” said Officer Kevin McCutcheon, who helped organize the activities. The event also aimed to give students a higher familiarity with the community organizations designed to help them.
“These kids need to know that these guys are there for them, not against them,” McCutcheon said. “That was part of it, too. Just getting them the frequency of knowing who’s going to help them and who’s not.”
With many interactive activities, and with volunteers dressed in costumes, the event took on a festive atmosphere, and after it was all over, the Wilton Fire Department treated students to a barbecue meal.
The Healthy Community Coalition also played an important role, providing information on sun safety and nutrition to the students.
Other stations included a water safety presentation, a tour of an ambulance, a seat belt challenge, a 911 simulator, and displays by the Wilton Fire Department that allowed students to explore a firetruck, and see what it would be like to be in a room consumed by smoke.
With the activities running as well as they did, and with such a positive response from the students, McCutcheon was hopeful that this year’s event would be the first of many.
“I’d like to see it as an annual event. I think it’s a great way to send the kids off for a summer break,” McCutcheon said. “In the forefront of their mind is safety, and hopefully that makes a change for them over the summer.”
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