YMCA holds Healthy Kids Day

BY TIFFANY PEDEN
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, April 19, 2009 8:46 AM EDT
TOWANDA — The Towanda YMCA held Healthy Kids Day to teach children how to be safe in many aspects of their lives.

Jill Hoffman, youth program director at the Towanda YMCA, said that the Healthy Kids Day is an event held nationally at all YMCAs. It has been held annually at the Towanda YMCA for at least five years, she said.

The purpose of the event is to get kids outside and learning about eating healthy snacks, participating in healthy activities, and things like fire safety and bicycle safety, Hoffman said.

At the event, children did several activities, including face painting, coloring, art activities, a family fun run and a bike rodeo.

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Towanda Police Officer David Lantz was at the Healthy Kids Day to talk with the children about bicycle safety before they began the bike rodeo, which more than 20 children participated in. Lantz told the children to always wear a helmet, and if they are riding on the road, to ride with traffic and not against it. He also told them that when on a road, they need to be careful and obey all the laws just like a vehicle.

“When you’re on a bike, believe it or not you could be charged with running a stop sign, and you can get hurt,” Lantz told the children.

After being fitted for helmets, which were provided by a grant from the Safe Kids Coalition, the children participated in a bike rodeo that tested them in bike safety at 10 stations. A hand signal station was set up to teach children the correct hand signals to use when riding their bikes, a stopping station allowed them to learn how to safely brake, and several other stations tested their riding skills, such as slow and fast balance, weaving in and out of cones, and riding in a circle.

Several organizations were set up at the Healthy Kids Day, including Memorial Hospital; the Towanda Public Library, which was having a library card drive; the Towanda Police Department; Wysox Volunteer EMS; the Towanda Fire Department; the Bradford County Humane Society; the Abuse and Rape Crisis Center; and the Foster Grandparents program.

The Towanda Elks Lodge had a booth set up for people to learn about drug awareness.

Towanda Elks Exalted Ruler Lois McDonald was at the booth to give out information to make parents and children more aware of drugs and how to prevent their use.

Tiffany Peden may be reached at (570) 888-9652; e-mail: reviewvalley@thedailyreview.com.