The Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy Program is partnering with 14 YMCA locations in eastern Wisconsin to teach families and children how to avoid common childhood injuries.
The program, developed by Kohl’s Cares and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, will provide tools, safety outreach, education and resources on burns, falls, accidental poisonings, sports and seasonal injuries and more.
Resources will be available at YMCA sites in Milwaukee, the Fox Cities, Green Bay, Manitowoc, West Bend and Kenosha.
“More than 2,300 Wisconsin children are hospitalized each year due to unintentional injury,” said Bridget Clementi, executive director of Community health and Education at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. “The Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy Program was developed as a trusted safety education resource to raise awareness about how to prevent these injuries from occurring.”
The program will also install interactive digital kiosks at 10 YMCA sites over the next three years. The kiosks will feature a gamed called “Keep Spriggy Safe” that teaches players how to make good safety decisions. Safety awareness kits that encompass age-specific program information, kid-friendly activities, and injury prevention resources will be distributed at YMCA summer camps throughout eastern Wisconsin as well.
Through their programming efforts, Kohl’s Cares, the Children’s Hospital and eastern Wisconsin YMCAs hope to be a resource to more than 50,000 children and families.
The Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy Program aligns with the YMCA’s emphasis on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the organization said in a press release.
“The Y is so grateful to be a partner in this wonderful collaboration,” said Julie Tolan, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. “Children and families look to the Y as a safe, nurturing place to build strong, healthy characters, and the important information begin shared through this effort strengthens our investment in kids, their families and the collective health of the communities we serve.”
While the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy last month, its finances will not be impacted by the new programming. The Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy Program will cover all materials to be used and distributed across YMCAs in eastern Wisconsin.
