The 9th Annual Children’s Expo & Safety Fair was a success!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Martine, CAC—845-808-1300, x44122
michelle.martine@putnamcountyny.gov
The 9th Annual Children’s Expo & Safety Fair took place at the Donald B. Smith County
Government Campus in Carmel on Saturday April 26, 2014. Hundreds of people attended the
event which was organized by the Child Advocacy of Putnam County (CAC) and the Bureau of
Emergency Services (BES). Eric Gross once again sponsored the event in honor of his wife
Barbara, who lost her battle with cancer in 2011. Barbara Gross, an educator in both the Carmel
and North Salem districts, was a strong advocate for children’s education and safety. Other
sponsors included Putnam County Tourism, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, and Durants
Party Rentals.
The overall goal of the event is to promote community education and awareness around
keeping children safe. Marla Behler, Program Coordinator of the CAC said “It is a unique
collaboration between multiple agencies-which allows Putnam County residents to experience a
fun day while also learning about the available resources and meeting the people who work
around the clock to serve them! We are very proud of the overall success of this program which
is now in its 9th year and grateful to all our partner agencies and to the public for making this a
significant community event.”
In addition to live radio broadcasting, participants were entertained with a magic show
performed by Danny Diamond, an animal safety demonstration by Jan Berlin, a NYSEG live wire
“electrical safety” demonstration and a UMAC martial arts demonstration. A few new vendors to
the fair this year included: WIC (Women, Infants & Children), Immunizations, and
Maternal/Child Health, Early Intervention, Community YMCA, Just for Kicks Martial Arts
Center and the RISE program from Putnam Family & Community Services. There was plenty of
food, games (provided by 4H) and raffle give-aways. Two lucky children even walked away with
a new bicycle donated by Arms Acres Liberty Management.
The emergency service coordinators and local fire and EMS agencies demonstrated their
services. Old favorites such as the Life Net helicopter tour, 911 tours, a dive team demonstration,
auto extrication and fire safety awareness were conducted. 80 Operation Safe Child ID’s were
provided by the Sheriff’s Office to ensure that if a child goes missing, his/her picture and
information is documented and can be swiftly provided to law enforcement to facilitate the
search. Additionally, about 25 different agencies/organizations provided information on child
health and safety to families.
A special thank you goes out to Rebecca Bertoldi for her expertise and assistance in
producing this year’s magazine titled “Putnam County Safe Families”. The publication included
several articles, submitted by various organizations focusing on helpful information and facts
about injury prevention. Topics ranged from firearm safety to toddler-proofing your house,
emergency preparedness and suicide prevention.
Overall, it was a fun-filled, educational day for the whole family!
