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Rotarians Learn About Programs

Fire safety, distracted driving and first aid are just a few of the programs offered by the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village in Ashville.

Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville members learned more about the village during the group’s recent Zoom meeting. Jessica Dayton, who has been safety village executive director since 2018, was the guest presenter and discussed the programs and updates. Her presentation was sponsored by Rotarian John “Doc” Hamels.

Prior to 2018, Dayton was a safety village volunteer who assisted with its many events for several years before coming on staff full-time as its associate director in 2017. She has spent her career managing programs that promote the well-being of youth in the region. Dayton has been employed at the YWCA of Jamestown, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Health, Project Crossroads at the Jamestown Police Department and the BOCES TEAM and CHOICE programs.

As listed on the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village website, its mission is “to promote the well-being of children and community members through a wide range of experiential safety training and services.” Dayton’s vision for the village is “to increase participation from schools outside of Chautauqua County, to build community collaborations, and to provide community safety through education.”

Dayton thanked the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville for its ongoing support since the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village began in 2010.

“Your Rotary Club has been a huge supporter of ours,” she said. “You built the large pavilion for outdoor education, and also secured a Rotary District Grant to help fund the purchase of tables with seating.” Westfield-Mayville Rotarians have also provided items for and volunteered at the CSV’s various public events, as well as supported its annual cash calendar fundraiser. When what was then called the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village began in 2010, it offered three programs. We updated our brand, name and logo, and expanded our safety education for not only children, but also middle and high school students, as well as adults. We also are reaching out more beyond Chautauqua County to other counties in the region, including in Pennsylvania. The pandemic has changed how we do business. We had to get creative and adapt our programs, and we put some of our Safety Village planned renovations on hold. We are offering virtual field trips, and we created videos that teachers can share with students. Thanks to technology, we can offer a simulated fire safety program, an interactive floor game for traffic and bike safety, and a distracted driving video simulation program.”

In addition to these offerings, other programs and services include first aid and hands-only CPR for students in fourth through sixth grades; basic child care for area schools’ family and consumer science students; home alone safety for middle school students in health classes and also after school programs; and CPR certification for adults. The Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village also offers free smoke alarms and will install them. It offers a child passenger safety service that has a certified technician who will check child safety seats for recalls or defects, and will also help with the correct installation of the seats. The CSV has a few safety seats that are free to the public.

Dayton said that the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village cash calendar fundraiser will run for only the two months of January and February. The fundraiser offers daily cash prizes and 59 total chances to win. A month of chances costs $10 and two months of chances costs $20.

For more information about the Chautauqua Children’s Safety Education Village visit www.chautauquasafetyvillage.com or call 338-0170.

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