‘Fashion show’ teaches kids about water safety
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The models strutted toward the crowd in swimsuits, star-shaped shades and flip-flops, but it wasn’t their outfits that drew the announcer’s attention.
It was the long pink and purple foam “noodles” in their hands.
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“These are good for exercising or for playing,” Troy Church said of the popular pool toys. “But these are not a life-saving device.”
At this “fashion show,” the emphasis was on “safe,” not “chic.”
The pint-sized models, most younger than 10, showed off the latest in life jackets and flotation devices to demonstrate the “dos” and “don’ts” of water safety.
The event was part of Saturday’s second annual Bug Bash, a child safety event organized by the Mary Kathryn Church Memorial Foundation. The group, which is seeking non-profit status, is named for a 15-month old girl who drowned in a retention pond in 2006.
“We truly believe that everything happens for a reason,” said Troy Church, dad to Mary Kathryn, who was known as “Katy Bug.”
So rather than close out the world following their daughter’s tragic death, Troy and his wife, Robyn, launched the foundation, which aims to educate the public about ways to prevent childhood injuries.
The Bug Bash, which took place at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds, featured fingerprinting for children and coloring books about water safety.The event also had bounce houses, a rock-climbing wall and a tae kwon do demonstration to show parents that they don’t have to isolate their kids to keep them safe, Troy Church said.
In the fashion show, he pointed out different kinds of life jackets, noting which are most appropriate for the ocean and which are better for calm, inland waters. To parents, he cautioned that inflatable arm “water wings” can slip off a child’s arms, and that pool floats are not enough to keep a child from drowning.
“I think it’s great, especially in Florida,” Fort Pierce resident Kelley Montgomery said of the fashion show. Her daughter, Lahela, 2, showed off a toddler life jacket.
Of the dozens of families that attended Saturday, the Churches asked for a donation of a toy or game, which will be given to the pediatric department of Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute in Fort Pierce.
When families are in a hospital, “they’ve got to have stuff to keep them busy, or they’ll go crazy,” Troy Church said.
To learn more about the foundation, visit www.katyfund.org.
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