The Boys and Girls Club of Porter County and NorthShore Health Centers teamed up to celebrate the last day of school for some lucky kids in a safe and fun way.
Representatives from NorthShore Health Centers came out to set up tables, displays and games teaching kids a variety of summer safety rules and tips to ensure that they went into summer vacation aware of how to be safe and harm-free.
“We contacted the Boys and Girls Club and they were very happy to have us come out and present today,” said NorthShore Health Centers Outreach Coordinator Patty Hall. “I’m glad we had the opportunity to do this as not only does it help out the community, but in the end, it’s always for the kids and it always makes them happy.”
The children had a variety of small games to play, including a spin the wheel game and trivia game where they answered questions concerning bicycle and swimming safety. The children were awarded with small prizes for participating. The children were also treated to a hotdog dinner, with hotdogs being served right from the grill and physical activities to play including dodgeball and tag.
Lead Community Outreach Coordinator Denise Carpenter credits not only the children of the Boys and Girls Club, but the community of Chesterton as key components that have helped to make their new Chesterton branch feel like a part of the community.
“We are doing this to ensure that kids are safe for the summer, that their health and safety are a primary concern, but we’re also doing this for the entire community of Chesterton,” said Carpenter. “We’re still relatively new to the community so we want everyone in Chesterton to know that we’re here to help them and assist them, and doing this is just one of the many ways we can do that.”
Boys and Girls Club Director Joe Juarez welcomed the NorthShore representatives at the club and hopes to see them again either at the club or throughout the community of Chesterton.
“The safety of our members is our most primary concern here. The fact that they can teach them some important safety rules concerning bikes and swimming right before the summer is incredibly beneficial,” says Juarez. I know that NorthShore has partnered with Purdue and other community partners before so that fact that they can work with us as well is great.”
At the end of the day, children were able to head home happy, full and a little wiser with some helpful summer tips, something that everyone involved could be thankful for.
“I hope they do more events like this,” says Juarez. “It’s great that they can get the word out to the community and allow people to see that the things they did here today, the way they helped everyone is what they want to do not just for your kids, but for the entire community as well.”