810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 18, 1998
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Farm Safety 4-Just Kids Begins in Maryland
KAREN BUTLER
Maryland Correspondent
JEFFERSON, Md - A
national farm safety organiza
tion has its first chapter in
Maryland, thanks to the efforts
of a Frederick County woman
Jane Smith, of Jefferson,
announced the official start of
the Frederick County Farm
Bureau chapter of Farm Safety
4 Just Kids at the annual
Frederick County farm safety
camp, held at the 4-H Camp
Center Smith is the representa
tive for the chapter
An internationally recog
nized organization, Farm Safety
4 Just Kids was started in lowa
in 1987 by Marilyn Adams after
she lost her son in a tragic acci
dent in a gravity flow wagon of
corn The organization has
grown since that time until it
now has more than 3000 mem
bers, and 79 chapters around
the country The mission of the
non-profit organization is to pre
vent farm-related childhood
injuries, health risks, and fatali
ties Their motto is: “Nothing
raised on a farm is more valu
able than children"
As chairperson of the 18-
member Frederick County Farm
Bureau Safety committee,
Smith has had a leadership role
in organizing the annual safety
camp that Farm Bureau has
sponsored for the last five years
She has served as director of the
safety camp, lined up well
respected speakers, and coordi
nated all the various activities
that go along with the overnight
youth camp and the volunteers
it takes to make it run smoothly
Her care and concern for the
children who live on farms, not
only in her Frederick County
community, but throughout the
state, prompted her to look into
the possibility of starting the
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids chapter
to further her mission Hearing
about tragic local accidents and
others in nearby counties involv
ing children on farms has moti
These children at the farm safety camp were involved in a
role-playing activity designed to make them think about what it
would be like to be in a wheelchair and have no use of their
arms. ' '
vated her to crusade for family
farm safety “There were no
chapters in our state, this is the
first one”, she explained
“We have many persons we
can call on to provide support to
the Maryland chapter,” said
Smith “It seems as if the local
community was really receptive
to the idea of the chapter.” And,
indeed, the community has ral
lied, with 15 members already
pledging their support for the
chapter, including both local
families and ag related busi
nesses
The focus of the chapter will
be on increasing public aware
ness of farm safety hazards, and
providing educational opportu
nities To this end, they have
identified four goals. First, the
chapter will hold a safety camp
yearly or at least every other
year for the young people.
Second, the members will set up
displays at the county and state
fairs, at Ag Week at the Mall,
and at local ag businesses. They
will publicize their business
news articles. And finally, they
will give talks and send speak
ers wherever they can to help
set up new safety camps or
chapters. Fifteen groups have
already pledged donations to
help the chapter achieve these
goals
In fact, Smith and other
members of the Frederick
County Farm Bureau safety
committee have already been
doing some of these things They
have helped Progressive Farmer
magazine start their own safety
program by providing them with
information, and have set up
displays and given talks around
the area Groups from neighbor
ing counties have started
attending the Frederick County
safety camp to get ideas on
starting their own camps.
Anyone interested in more
information or in joining the
Maryland chapter of Farm
Safety 4 Just Kids can contact
Jane Smith at (301) 473-8259
Merhl Ramsburg, left, and Charlie Seraydian are both survivors of farm accidents. The two
men joined together to give children at the farm safety camp a lession in PTO safety.
Steven O’Hara, on the left, and Richard O’Hara demonstrated lawn mower safety at the
farm safety camp.
f,
Richard Yinger, of the Frederick County Dive Team, demonstrated water safety techniques
at the farm safety camp.
/Shades Smith demonstrates the power of a PTO to children
attending the farm eafety camp recently.
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