Young Children: Priority One
Type of Committee: Service
Committee Chair:
Scott Krizner
Members:
Bev Dixon
Denis Driscoll
Ruth Folz
Betsy Hagelberg
Ramona Henry
Mike Stannard
Ted Vander Roest
(YCPO) is a continuing service committee that works, both on local and international levels, to meet needs of children from prenatal through age 5.
The focus is on maternal and child health, child care and development, parent education and support, child safety, and pediatric trauma. Local projects have included printing and distribution of “Don’t Shake a Baby” brochures; hospital dolls for doctors and nurses to use when talking with their young patients, and for the children to keep and cuddle;
provision of diapers and ointment to homeless shelters; purchase of children’s books for a variety of child-serving agencies; painting a playground wall; and sponsorship of an infant parenting educational series.
The Worldwide Service Project supported is an enduring program focused on the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). IDD is the number one preventable cause of mental retardation in children. The Worldwide Service Project has raised awareness of the dilemma and has been a huge factor in helping to drastically reduce the cases of
IDD around the world.