Post by title1parent on Aug 3, 2010 5:48:20 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2559162,6_1_NA03_HELPING_S1-100803.article
Helping Hand program reaches out to kids
August 3, 2010
By KATHY MILLEN kmillen@stmedianetwork.com
Several years ago, Marcia Schild stood at her window in the late afternoon as the school bus pulled away from the curb.
As she watched the children begin walking toward their homes she noticed one little girl lingering at the bus stop, looking around uncertainly. She had mistakenly gotten on the wrong bus and now didn't know where she was.
FYI
For more information about the Helping Hand program, contact Marcia Schild at 630-420-6667 or schildm@naperville.il.us. Fortunately, the first-grader remembered the posters of a white hand on a bright red background. Houses that display these signs, she learned in school, were safe places to go and ask for help.
She spotted such a sign in Schild's window and came to the door. The little girl's father was contacted and he came to get her.
What could have been a frightening and potentially dangerous situation was resolved in a matter of minutes.
It was an especially satisfying moment for Schild, who not only is a Helping Hands volunteer, but also coordinates the program locally as part of her job as community education specialist for the Naperville Police Department. Schild periodically visits elementary schools, day care centers and Safety Town to give safety presentations to the kids. She tells them that if they become lost, injured, ill, feel threatened or are in any other kind of trouble when they are away from home, they can find help at the nearest Helping Hand household.
Schild knows the value of such a program, even if the city hasn't compiled the statistics to back it up.
"I really don't know how often it's used, but like that Neighborhood Watch symbol, it's a sign that people in our community are looking out, specifically for our children," she said. "And I think for a young child walking to and from school or getting off at a bus stop, they can look around and have kind of that little assurance that 'OK, if I'm too far from home I know that that's a safe place to go.'"
The Helping Hand Household program was established in Naperville in 1967 by the Naperville Police Department, the Naperville Junior Woman's Club and School District 203. Later on, School District 204 came on board. The five Naperville private schools are also participants.
The program is a bargain, Schild said. It costs the city virtually nothing. District 204 prints up posters for its residents and the Naperville Junior Woman's Club prints those for District 203 residents.
Barb Nelson grew up learning that Helping Hand households were safe places. Today, as president of the Naperville Junior Woman's Club, she continues to support the program. She also educated her own children about the program when they were younger. A Helping Hand poster has been on display in her window for the last 14 years.
"I always say, 'if you're walking and feel uncomfortable, go to the house with the hand in the window because you can always trust that person,'" she said. "I totally support this program. I think it's a great thing for young kids and for parents to feel safe having their kids walk to school."
To ensure that safety, police are careful about who gets to participate in the program. Potential volunteers must first undergo a confidential criminal background check by police. If they are approved, they will be allowed to post the Helping Hand for two years. After that, they can either reapply or turn in their sign. It's important to police to get those signs back so that no one who hasn't been screened can pass theirs off as a Helping Hands household. Schild also periodically sends Realtors a letter reminding them to turn in signs left behind in houses for sale.
Currently, more than 3,000 households in Naperville display the posters. They are also in all the elementary school classrooms in the two school districts. Most volunteers are parents of younger, school-age children. However, Schild said, the program is a good fit for parents of older children as well retirees home during the day.
"I guess we are really proud of the fact it's one of those programs that survived," Schild said. "There's still continuing interest in the community. People still want to keep this up."
Laura McDonnell is one of them. As first vice president of the Indian Prairie Parents Council, she oversees health and safety programs for the district. In recent years she has seen a drop in participation in District 204. Some possible reasons, she said, are parents with older children are dropping out of the program, fewer households have someone at home during the daytime and people mistakenly believe the program isn't important.
"The majority of communities in our school district are pretty safe and some people may not feel it's needed," she said. "But there are circumstances. It can be something like children being bullied or followed by someone. You'll see more (signs) in walking communities, but not communities where kids take the buses."
People in local law enforcement, from Chief of Police David Dial on down, believe the Helping Hands posters also serve as crime deterrents, Schild said.
"What we like about this is it indicates to anyone driving through our community that people are on watch here and they are watching for anything suspicious going on in our community," she said. "Just like Neighborhood Watch, we're aware of who lives in our community. We are aware of the vehicles that belong in our neighborhoods. With the Helping Hand sign, we are aware of the children that are walking by our house and if anything looks suspicious, we would report it."
Although police have not tracked occasions when children reach out to a Helping Hand household, Schild said, most situations she has heard about anecdotally have been relatively minor and were handled by the homeowner. However, volunteers are advised to call police for more serious cases, including injuries and illness and are told not to administer first aid except to restore breathing or stop excessive bleeding.
In addition, volunteers should not offer food, beverages or medications to avoid possible allergic or diabetic reaction, nor transport a child in their car.
Instructions for volunteers are spelled out on the back of the Helping Hand poster.
McDonnell thinks the program is important to the community. An injury, a bullying incident or other potentially serious problems can occur at any time, even in the best of neighborhoods, she said, and if they do, it is comforting to know that there's someone nearby to lend a hand.
"As far as I'm concerned, if it helps one kid, then we're doing something right," McDonnell said. "Then it's a valuable program."
Helping Hand program reaches out to kids
August 3, 2010
By KATHY MILLEN kmillen@stmedianetwork.com
Several years ago, Marcia Schild stood at her window in the late afternoon as the school bus pulled away from the curb.
As she watched the children begin walking toward their homes she noticed one little girl lingering at the bus stop, looking around uncertainly. She had mistakenly gotten on the wrong bus and now didn't know where she was.
FYI
For more information about the Helping Hand program, contact Marcia Schild at 630-420-6667 or schildm@naperville.il.us. Fortunately, the first-grader remembered the posters of a white hand on a bright red background. Houses that display these signs, she learned in school, were safe places to go and ask for help.
She spotted such a sign in Schild's window and came to the door. The little girl's father was contacted and he came to get her.
What could have been a frightening and potentially dangerous situation was resolved in a matter of minutes.
It was an especially satisfying moment for Schild, who not only is a Helping Hands volunteer, but also coordinates the program locally as part of her job as community education specialist for the Naperville Police Department. Schild periodically visits elementary schools, day care centers and Safety Town to give safety presentations to the kids. She tells them that if they become lost, injured, ill, feel threatened or are in any other kind of trouble when they are away from home, they can find help at the nearest Helping Hand household.
Schild knows the value of such a program, even if the city hasn't compiled the statistics to back it up.
"I really don't know how often it's used, but like that Neighborhood Watch symbol, it's a sign that people in our community are looking out, specifically for our children," she said. "And I think for a young child walking to and from school or getting off at a bus stop, they can look around and have kind of that little assurance that 'OK, if I'm too far from home I know that that's a safe place to go.'"
The Helping Hand Household program was established in Naperville in 1967 by the Naperville Police Department, the Naperville Junior Woman's Club and School District 203. Later on, School District 204 came on board. The five Naperville private schools are also participants.
The program is a bargain, Schild said. It costs the city virtually nothing. District 204 prints up posters for its residents and the Naperville Junior Woman's Club prints those for District 203 residents.
Barb Nelson grew up learning that Helping Hand households were safe places. Today, as president of the Naperville Junior Woman's Club, she continues to support the program. She also educated her own children about the program when they were younger. A Helping Hand poster has been on display in her window for the last 14 years.
"I always say, 'if you're walking and feel uncomfortable, go to the house with the hand in the window because you can always trust that person,'" she said. "I totally support this program. I think it's a great thing for young kids and for parents to feel safe having their kids walk to school."
To ensure that safety, police are careful about who gets to participate in the program. Potential volunteers must first undergo a confidential criminal background check by police. If they are approved, they will be allowed to post the Helping Hand for two years. After that, they can either reapply or turn in their sign. It's important to police to get those signs back so that no one who hasn't been screened can pass theirs off as a Helping Hands household. Schild also periodically sends Realtors a letter reminding them to turn in signs left behind in houses for sale.
Currently, more than 3,000 households in Naperville display the posters. They are also in all the elementary school classrooms in the two school districts. Most volunteers are parents of younger, school-age children. However, Schild said, the program is a good fit for parents of older children as well retirees home during the day.
"I guess we are really proud of the fact it's one of those programs that survived," Schild said. "There's still continuing interest in the community. People still want to keep this up."
Laura McDonnell is one of them. As first vice president of the Indian Prairie Parents Council, she oversees health and safety programs for the district. In recent years she has seen a drop in participation in District 204. Some possible reasons, she said, are parents with older children are dropping out of the program, fewer households have someone at home during the daytime and people mistakenly believe the program isn't important.
"The majority of communities in our school district are pretty safe and some people may not feel it's needed," she said. "But there are circumstances. It can be something like children being bullied or followed by someone. You'll see more (signs) in walking communities, but not communities where kids take the buses."
People in local law enforcement, from Chief of Police David Dial on down, believe the Helping Hands posters also serve as crime deterrents, Schild said.
"What we like about this is it indicates to anyone driving through our community that people are on watch here and they are watching for anything suspicious going on in our community," she said. "Just like Neighborhood Watch, we're aware of who lives in our community. We are aware of the vehicles that belong in our neighborhoods. With the Helping Hand sign, we are aware of the children that are walking by our house and if anything looks suspicious, we would report it."
Although police have not tracked occasions when children reach out to a Helping Hand household, Schild said, most situations she has heard about anecdotally have been relatively minor and were handled by the homeowner. However, volunteers are advised to call police for more serious cases, including injuries and illness and are told not to administer first aid except to restore breathing or stop excessive bleeding.
In addition, volunteers should not offer food, beverages or medications to avoid possible allergic or diabetic reaction, nor transport a child in their car.
Instructions for volunteers are spelled out on the back of the Helping Hand poster.
McDonnell thinks the program is important to the community. An injury, a bullying incident or other potentially serious problems can occur at any time, even in the best of neighborhoods, she said, and if they do, it is comforting to know that there's someone nearby to lend a hand.
"As far as I'm concerned, if it helps one kid, then we're doing something right," McDonnell said. "Then it's a valuable program."
