Going the Extra Mile

“We never do home visits,” said Safe Kids injury prevention coordinator Roxana Sanchez. “But something felt different about this family.”

Elizabeth Castleton went into labor early and when her baby was born weighing a little over 2lbs, she spent several months in the Intensive Care Unit. 

As a result, Elizabeth missed several car seat installation appointments with the Safe Kids program. Safe Kids Palm Beach County is a community-based program that offers safety education and materials to families to decrease accidental injuries in children from 0 to 19 years of age. Safe Kids is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network that works to prevent accidental injury. 

Since Roxana and injury prevention specialist Lauriel Gunther were in the Belle Glade area and Elizabeth was only a short 15-minute car ride away, the Safe Kids team decided pay her a visit.
The first thing they noticed in her rural neighborhood was her home. It was clean from the outside – someone had obviously taken pride in it – but the structure of the home itself was in poor condition. 

“It looked like a storage container that someone had cut holes into for doors and windows,” Roxana said.  

Once inside, Roxana and Lauriel were pleased to get an update on the baby’s condition as mom proudly announced that the little girl was doing well and had gained five pounds while in the ICU. 

The team worked together until Elizabeth felt confident about securing her baby in the car seat on her own.

“Thanks to Safe Kids, Elizabeth has a way of bringing her baby home safe,” Roxana. “Without Safe Kids, she would have just used any old car seat but now, she has a brand new one and knows how to use it properly.” 

With a new car seat, resources and the knowledge that she can call CPSFL anytime, Elizabeth is looking forward to a bright, safe future with her little girl.

Operating within Community Partners of South Florida (CPSFL) as the lead organization, and Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County as the main funder, Safe Kids is committed to raising public awareness of preventable injuries, supporting public policy on child safety, distributing safety materials to families in need, and providing safety education to parents, caregivers, and children.

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Every year, our evidence-based programs serve thousands of Palm Beach County residents as they work to achieve their personal goals. 

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