Lynn Nagle
For Chatham This Week
Union Gas unveiled a miniature replica of the company's head office at the Chatham-Kent Safety Village on Aug. 21.
Built with a donation from Union Gas, the Union Gas building is part of a kid-sized interactive village that provides children with a fun, hands-on way to practice real life skills to reduce the risk of injury due to a preventable incident. More than 6,000 children use the facility each year.
Mayor Randy Hope, Union Gas President Julie Dill, Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village Executive Director Barb Lovell and Gary Patterson Board President of the Safety Village cut the ribbon at the official opening.
Also on hand were representatives from CK Police Service, Fire Department and EMS services. Sparky the safety dog mingled with the kids and the "Safety Squad" painted faces and performed safety skits to entertain everyone.
"Most accidents are preventable" said Dill. "That's why adopting a safety mindset is essential to accident prevention."
Union Gas leads by example and is a great community partner, said Lovell. She said when kids learn things they become safety ambassadors.
Including this contribution, Union Gas has committed over $600,000 to help safety villages across Ontario.
Patterson, who will be walking across the region at the end of the month to raise awareness and support for the Safety Village, reminded everyone that the facility needs support all year long and that every accident that is prevented will be worth the investment in the safety village.
For more information about the Safety Village visit www.cksafetyvillage.org or call 519-360-1270.
