Child car seat safety is important to most parents but to Daniel
and Kristen Icard it is doubly important.
As the parents of two young children they want their children to be safe
at all times while riding in the car.
When Kristen was pregnant with her first child she bought
the best and safest seat but recognized that the seat was only safe if it was
properly installed. Kristen visited the
Alexander County Partnership for Children for a car seat inspection. As a United Way of Alexander County funded
agency, the Partnership for Children serves as a car seat inspection site. Studies have shown that over 70% of child car
seats are installed improperly.
When Kristen was pregnant with her second child she knew
that a properly installed car seat was important in preparation for bringing
home her son from the hospital. A few
weeks before the baby was due she made an appointment and stopped in to insure
the car seat was installed properly. A
certified car seat technician made some minor adjustments and Kristen rested
easy knowing that her newborn would be riding safely. When asked about the car seat inspection
program at the Partnership for Children Kristen quickly responded, “I can definitely say that I would be lost
without this service. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person however,
car seat installation baffles me! My husband and I both are afraid that we
would do it incorrectly. When it comes to the safety of your kids, you want
everything to be perfect. We didn't want to take the chance of installing the
car seat improperly... So we took them to the experts. There is definitely a
sense of comfort and security knowing that your children are safe in their car
seats! I insisted that any family member that transported my children to have
their car seat installed or checked at the Partnership. I'm very thankful that
we have this service in Alexander County!”
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Many times car seat inspections become a family event at the
Partnership for Children. Parents come
in and have a car seat inspected and then the grandparents will come in. Joe
and Renee Williams, grandparents, expressed appreciation for the service. Kristen’s mom, Renee Williams, also stops by
and has her car seat inspected periodically.
She explained, “My daughter
Kristen and son-in-law Daniel insisted that we go to the Partnership to have
the car seat installed. When it comes to the safety of the grandchildren, there
is no reason not to go to the Partnership! They are the experts!”
Children riding safely is
important to the Alexander County Partnership for Children, an agency
passionate about inspecting as many car seats as possible to ensure that
children are safe and adequately protected while traveling on the roads and
highways. The goal of the Partnership
for Children car seat program is to increase parent education while emphasizing
the importance of inspections by offering on-site clinics at child care facilities
and participating in community awareness events to reach out to the citizens of
Alexander County. If seats are found to
be improper they are replaced through United Way funding. The car seat inspection and replacement
program is a free service to Alexander County residents.
Susan Cogdill, Executive
Director of the Alexander County Partnership for Children, expressed her
appreciation to the United Way of Alexander County. “Without United Way funding our agency would
simply not be able to offer this valuable service to the citizens of Alexander
County. Like many nonprofits in
Alexander and across North Carolina, our agency has suffered budget cuts that
limit our ability to provide necessary services. With United Way funding the Partnership for
Children continues to ensure that children are riding safely.”
