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Car Seat Program Aids Families

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By SHERRI LONON

In The Loop

Published: December 19, 2008

All Children's Hospital's Safe Kids program has an opportunity to receive up to $100,000 in free car seats thanks to its recent partnering with Graco children's products.

The national maker of car seats and other children's items selected All Children's as a partner in its Ready for the Road Ahead campaign.

This campaign is designed to help answer parents' questions about car seats and road safety. For every 10 people who sign up for the Ready, Safe, Go! Car Seat Club by Dec. 31, the Safe Kids program will receive a free car seat - up to $100,000 in value.

The need for free seats within Pasco County is great, said Amy Heinzen, coordinator of Safe Kids for Pasco and Polk counties. In Pasco, All Children's Hospital's Safe Kids operates a free car seat safety inspection program on the second Friday of each month at its 4443 Rowan Road location in New Port Richey. It is one of the only organizations in Pasco offering seat inspections.

Although Heinzen said the Florida Highway Patrol has partnered with Safe Kids to provide replacement car seats for families who come in for a checkup at a cost of $20, the demand for free seats is high.

With more parents facing layoffs and budgets stretched thin, she said it's sometimes hard for parents to even afford to replace the seats they already have when their children outgrow them or they are deemed unsuitable for a host of reasons.

"We want the children to leave safer than they arrived," she said.

The Ready, Safe, Go! Car Seat Club provides parents information about car seats, special product offers from companies like Graco, Johnson's and Gerber and offers other tips adults can use to help keep their youngsters safe. Joining the program costs nothing.

Making an appointment for a car seat safety inspection and learning more about proper installation is something Heinzen strongly recommends all parents do.

"Four out of five is the national statistic for car seats installed incorrectly," she said.

During safety inspections, car seats are checked for their suitability for the child in question and the vehicle used. Parents also are taught how to properly install seats themselves.

FOR INFORMATION

For a safety seat check appointment, contact the Pasco location at (727) 846-9900. To make a donation to offset the cost of car seats for families in need, call Heinzen at (813) 436-5911. To sign up for Graco's car club and help All Children earn free seats, visit www.readyfortheroadahead .com and follow the links to the club. More information can also be obtained from All Children's at www.allkids .org/graco.

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