Superheroes Like You Are Keeping Our Children Safe

Donor Support for Safe Kids Prevents Accidents and Injury

Not all superheroes wear capes. You, our generous McLeod Health Foundation donors, are probably more comfortable in street clothes while you help keep our children safe.

“The Pee Dee region is a dangerous place for kids,” says McLeod Safe Kids Coordinator Angie Dillon. “Florence County’s death rate from preventable accidents is 36% higher than across the country.” 

Too often, area children end up in the hospital from accidents that could have been avoided. Your support of Safe Kids provides parents with the knowledge and resources to protect their children.

Safe Kids Worldwide is an international nonprofit that strives to reduce unintentional injuries to children. McLeod Regional Medical Center has hosted a Safe Kids chapter since 1996. As coordinator of our chapter, Angie trains car seat safety technicians, builds partnerships with local organizations, and travels the region providing safety education at community awareness events. 

A major feature of these events is distributing safety gear like helmets and car seats to parents of limited financial means free of charge, and ensuring they know how to install them properly. Thanks to a series of grants from the Honda USA Foundation and McLeod Foundation donors like you, Angie expanded her reach to include water safety, gun safety, ATV and bike safety, and medication security awareness. 

“Learning about injury statistics is a big part of my job,” she explains. “The data shows me where we need to offer more training and resources to keep kids safe. If we can provide a car seat or safe sleep equipment parents can’t afford for their children, that can make the difference between life, hospitalization, and death.”

Angie often encounters situations where children are injured due to a lack of funding for safety equipment. By providing items such as bicycle helmets with instructions on how to properly wear them, she hopes to reduce life-changing injuries to children. 

“Knowledge is lifesaving, and education is 1,000 percent the biggest benefit Safe Kids provides,” Angie says. “Our dedicated donors, like you, make this blessing possible.”