August 13 Austin ISD Back to School Bash

Alissa Schram, Capital Metro Community Involvement Coordinator, and I handed out Capital Metro and Operation Lifesaver materials at the Austin ISD "Back to School Bash" on Saturday, August 13, from 9:00-12:00 noon.  The "Bash" is a major community event at which children's backpacks, bike helmets and other stuff is given away while up to 40 or 50 community organizations hand out educational materials on particular topics.  Our table handed out piggybanks that look like MetroRail trainsets (some 500 of them, until we ran out).  We also had a lot of different Capital Metro pamphlets and rail safety items, including refrigerator magnets, rulers, activity books, book covers, etc.  I would estimate we probably had at least 750 folks come by our table.  I brought my Railroad Crossing sign so that helped attract folks.  I took home whatever was left over so we have more material for future safety fairs.  Best of all, the Bash was indoors, with air-conditioning.  I participated in this event on behalf of Railroad Partners, Inc. (RPI), a rail corridor preservation group (see railroadpartners.com) which supports rail safety in all railroad corridors.

Here's some photos:

August 6 RPI Motorcar Exhibit at Highland Mall Safety Fair

I took my Woodings CBI down to the Highland Mall in Austin today for their safety fair.  Set up the motorcar at the West Entrance, close by two APD motorcycles, the SWAT tactical response vehicle, the APD Bomb Squad (with robot bomb handlers), and an AFD fire truck.  Lucky for me I brought the EZ-Up or I would have melted away.  The fair was from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and by 3:00 it was 105 degrees.  Here's what my exhibit looked like:

I set up my Operation Lifesaver graphics and was able to give seven presentations to a total of 17 adults and 17 kids.  I'm satisfied with that.  I also met two persons who asked for my card to call later about scheduling an OL presentation for their schools in the Austin area.  And I handed out a bunch of railroad safety flyers and brochures.  Here's a photo of me with some kids I gave a presentation to:

We can notch up another volunteer job on behalf of Capital Metro.  Just when I'm thinking this heat is too much, I remember the Leander Safety Fair in December 2009, when the temp started out about 38 and ended up around 45.  Weather can be a bear at times but at least we're getting the word out.

Kids R Kids Child Safety and Protection Festival -- July 9, 2011

I found out about a Child Safety and Protection Festival sponsored by the Kids R Kids Learning Academy in northern Austin on Saturday, July 9, and signed up to bring a motorcar and provide Operation Lifesaver railroad safety presentations.  I also brought along a table to display OL and Capital Metro literature, along with refrigerator magnet giveaways.  My wife Alma came along to help set up and take down my display, but spent most of the morning shopping at the nearby Lakeline Mall.  The fair itself was from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

I provided seven OL presentations to a total of 10 adults and 10 kids, and gave literature to about 25 others.  Not much volume but every journey begins with a single step.  The organizer was most appreciative.  They had an APD police car and an AFD fire truck as well so the motorcar fitted in well.  And I made a contact with a Moms Day Off coordinator named Jessica who might want me to do some OL activities for kids in Leander.  I am sure glad I found an EZ-Up and was able to set it up because I was beginning to roast by noon, just as the fair began winding down

RPI has represented Capital Metro at numerous child safety fairs within the Capital Metro service area over the past several years.  I will bring a motorcar to another such fair at the Highland Mall in north Austin on August 6 and then the Austin ISD Back to School Bash inside the Austin Convention Center on August 13.  That one's interesting because I can pull the motorcar on its trailer up inside the Center and park it on the floor, next to the police and fire vehicles.  Plus it's out of the sun and even air-conditioned--doesn't get any better than that.  We've put out a call for more RPI volunteers to help with these events.

My last OL activity this year was back in March, when I did a presentation for a Cub Scout pack at a MetroRail station in north Austin and then rode the train with them to downtown and back.  That was fun.

I also did a number of motorcar-associated OL presentations last year for the Cub Scout after-school programs at six or seven Austin elementary schools.  I was all set to do those this May and June but then my voice gave out on me (had to have vocal cord surgery in mid-May) so that had to be pushed back to the fall semester, August-December.  Looking forward to doing OL presentations for the kids during that period.

We do an annual report to Capital Metro on OL safety activities undertaken by RPI within the Capital Metro service area, so these activities are very helpful to show that RPI is a multi-faceted organization that can help out Cap Metro in a variety of ways.

Here's some photos of the Kids R Kids event:

Last but not least, here's a July 10 thank-you e-mail from the Festival organizer, Sugandha Jain:

 

Mr. Edward,

Thank you so much to you and your wife for coming to the Child Safety and Protection festival at Kids 'R' Kids. You offered an extremely valuable resource to the families and community. Thanks for displaying the railroad inspection vehicle and distributing materials on Capital Metro. I am grateful to you for your hard work and sincerity of service. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I very much appreciate your sharing your skills at the festival.  

----Sugandha