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Dozens of families gathered at Dunne Park on June 17 to attend the 32nd annual Kids at the Park.
Families were treated to a wide selection of booths, each offering interactive information regarding children’s health and safety, along with healthy snacks, entertainment and raffles.
The event was hosted by the Safe Kids San Benito County Coalition, in partnership with the Hollister Parks and Recreation Department.
Judging by the response from attendees, it was enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
“I play outside all the time,” Vincent Muñoz, a child who attended with his family, said. “We learned swimming pool safety. It was my favorite.”
His father, also named Vincent Muñoz, said he appreciated the diversity of topics and organizations present contributing to the event.
“Children who go to school may not know of different services,” Muñoz said. “Other businesses can come out; many might offer something that people didn’t know existed.”.
One such organization was San Benito Blooming, which focuses on infant health and safety through prenatal education, lactation consultations and infant massages.
“I strongly think that connecting with families one-on-one, chatting with them, is so important,” San Benito Blooming founder Andria Butler said. A certified educator for infant massages she added, “When you hand something out, they may or may not read it, so when it’s in person, face to face, you can answer their questions. You can have that connection.”
Another organization looking to create this connection was the California Office of Traffic Safety, which attended Kids at the Park for the first time. Angela DaPrato said she hoped to inform families about road safety tips. She addressed numerous concerns about traffic safety in light of new technologies.
“E-bikes and scooters have become a huge popular topic that we’ve been asked a lot about and been asked to provide that information,” DaPrato said. “I think that’s a big shift, seeing that new technology come into fruition and us responding to the demand for best safety practices.”
DaPrato also touched on the importance of driving sober.
“When you drink and drive, you’re putting yourself at risk, you’re putting other people at risk, and then you’re putting loved ones at risk, as well, because it does have an impact whether you’re the driver or the person who’s the victim.” DaPrato said.
In California, there were more than 110,000 drunken driving arrests in 2021, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Kids at the Park coordinator Ofelia Prieto said the event has grown considerably. In its first years, it hosted around 20 booths; this year, it had 55.
Prieto said she wanted to highlight that children can learn well through visual and interactive information, both of which Kids at the Park delivers.
“Every station offers something meaningful that children can take with them and use outside the park,” she said.
She noted that since it began in 1994, the San Benito community has grown accustomed to Kids at the Park. Attendance has grown from about 700 children to more than 1,200.
“The community expects it,” she said. “They know that Kids at the Park is coming. They want to be here.”
She said the event is dedicated to the late Janet Gram, a prominent local advocate for children’s safety who founded Kids at the Park.
“We continue in Janet’s memory. To honor her,” Prieto said.
Follow the Hollister Recreation Facebook page for updates on future Kids at the Park events.
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