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Church to Hold Kids' Safety Rally: Event Held in Carlie Brucia's Honor Aims to Prevent Tragedies

Posted on: Thursday, 2 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Erica Rodriguez, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Feb. 2--SARASOTA -- Two years after 11-year-old Carlie Brucia's body was found behind the Central Church of Christ, church leaders and members of the community are preparing for the third annual Kids' Safety Rally.

The event, open and free to the public, is scheduled to take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Rod Myers, a minister at the church, said the event will be held in memory of Carlie and he hopes it will help prevent future tragedies involving children.

"The goal is prevention and to provide education to kids and their parents," Myers said.

The rally is expected to comprise about 35 stations, including:

-- A booth where children may get their fingerprints taken by law enforcement officials.

-- A station where children's blood types can be determined and documented.

-- "Safety City," a mock city where volunteers are expected to be available to teach participants about pedestrian and traffic safety.

-- Self-defense and martial arts training.

-- Bully prevention instruction.

-- A cameo appearance by Smokey Bear, who is expected to discuss fire safety.

-- Escape school, in which participants can learn about escape strategies if kidnapped.

"The big hit last year was with the Sarasota County Health Department. They have these two pig lungs -- one that's full of cancer and another that's clean," Myers said.

The cancerous lung came from a pig exposed to second-hand smoke.

Myers said participants will have "passports" to be stamped at each of the stations.

Kathleen O'Leary, director of youth development for Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and a member of the Central Church of Christ, said most of the stations focus on safety issues that the average parent may never consider.

O'Leary said a Girl Scouts troop has planned a station at which they will teach parents and children about cyber-safety. She said another station will feature a game dubbed "Wheel of Safety," a spin-off of the television show "Wheel of Fortune."

From relay races in which runners compete at fastening seatbelts to crash courses in using Project Safe Place signs, the event will tackle a wide array of safety issues, O'Leary said.

Face painting, skits and food vendors are also expected to be featured at the event.

Organizers said last year's event was a success and that they expect about 2,000 participants this year.

"It was unanimous. . . . Everyone we asked said they would participate again," Myers said of an informal poll taken last year.

Erica Rodriguez, Herald

reporter, can be reached at erodriguez@HeraldToday.com [mailto:erodriguez@HeraldToday.com] or at 745-7095.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Bradenton Herald (Bradenton, Fla.)

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