Car seats donated to help promote child safety

Laura Shields, right, branch manager of AmericanWest Bank, and Kaitlyn Zwanziger, personnel manager, stand with 15 new car seats donated to Safe Kids Inland Northwest for distribution to area families.

Safe Kids Inland Northwest, a local chapter of Safe Kids Worldwide, is dedicated to protecting kids from unintentional injuries, the number-one cause of death for children in the United States.

The chapter serves Whitman, Latah, Asotin and Nez Perce counties.

They provide free or reduced cost bike helmets and car seats to those in need at safety fairs, bike rodeos and car seat check sites.

This purchase of car seats was made possible by the donations from Thrifty Grandmothers of Colfax, AmericanWest Bank of Colfax, Pullman Police Officers Guild and Pullman Child Welfare.

Safe Kids Inland Northwest has no administrative costs, so 100 percent of all contributions is spent on safety equipment, according to Troy D. Henderson, Whitman County Public Health Department Director who serves as coordinator of the group.