Hundreds of children were as quiet as church mice while Lindsey Lea Sweatt, 15, sang the national anthem to kick off the sixth annual Stand for Children Day on Friday at Kereiakes Park. Once the program was over, so was the quiet time. The children headed to the information and activity booths to get their faces painted, make puppets and learn about science.

Stand for Children is a national organization, but Bowling Green organizers adapt the activities and themes to the local area, said Anne Grubbs, enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Bowling Green and Warren County Community Education.

We try to think of whats an issue in Bowling Green and Warren County at the time, Grubbs said.  She said children are the future of the community.

This years theme was Safe Summer Fun. Children got identification kits, bicycle helmets and learned about the Safe Spot program, in which places can be havens for children in danger. B.J. Sweatt, 10, of Bowling Green had seen the Safe Spot signs, but didn’t know what they were for. I’ve never really read it, he said. I’ve felt really safe here in Bowling Green. B.J. also learned that without sunscreen, he could get skin cancer. He planned to tell his friends about what he learned on Friday. I think it will help them be safe, he said. Ashley Davis, 8, of Bowling Green got a bicycle helmet. She has been riding her bike without one. But I still don’t fall that much, she said. I fall in the grass so it doesn’t hurt as much. Ashley was just beginning her trek through the booths. There’s a lot of things to see, she said. Its fun. The children saw the Bowling Green Public Library Bookmobile, Bowling Green Fire Department trucks and a Bowling Green Police Department cruiser. Stephanie Berec, 5, came with the Western Kentucky University Child Care Center. Berec made a puppet with help from Carrie Barnett, executive director of the Capitol Arts Alliance. It was a girl puppet with earrings and a skirt and, as of Friday, without a name. Shelvie Payne, 10, came to the event with the Rockfield Family Resource Center camp. Shelvie and her fellow campers listened to local musician Lindsey Lea Sweatt sing, listened to stories and painted on the ground as part of a large mural. I painted a cross with What Would Jesus Do?, she said. Shelvie wanted to get her face painted, but was undecided as to what to get. She had time to decide there were long lines at most of the booths. I think there’s too many people here, she said.

Sisco, Scott (2003, June). Hundreds of children gather to learn about safe summer activities. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/hundreds-of-children-gather-to-learn-about-safe-summer-activities/article_960f5992-fd30-5db9-abb2-6a869fc70fb7.html