Youth Education & Safety Fair at Renton Community Center May 18

Renton and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound and 911 personnel will hold a Youth Education & Safety (Y.E.S.) Fair on Saturday, May 18 at  the Renton Community Center, 1715 Maple Valley Hy from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

This event is part of the national Take 25 child safety campaign in observance of National Missing Children’s Day in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). 

Sponsors Stewart Title and Target will be on hand to help bring valuable resources to local families.  

The afternoon will include many activities such as free child ID kits; a children’s fitness obstacle course; a fire safety trailer to learn what to do in case of fire; police and fire vehicle demonstrations; activities, handouts and tips on children safety; information on texting and driving as well as internet safety; a Lego pit;  games; raffles; face painting;  and many more activities and special guests. The King County E-911 Office and King County Executive will be in attendance to present a local child with their Kid Hero Award.

National Missing Children’s Day serves as an annual reminder that there are thousands of children who are still missing and stresses the importance of making child protection a national priority. The Take 25 campaign is a national campaign created in 2007 by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The campaign encourages parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and ways to prevent abduction.

The campaign begins on May 1 and continues through May 25 every year in communities throughout the country.  

“We know that teaching children about safety works. Community events play an important role in helping parents understand how they can help save a child’s life,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “We are very grateful to our local partners who share our interest in keeping children safe. They play an important role in raising public awareness in communities throughout America.” 

An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 84% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors through their own actions. Teaching children about safety works. It saves lives.