Lakota Safety Village returns: Westchester PD, Butler County sheriff and 3 Little Halos fund free summer program

Lakota Board of Education members on June 30 recognized a district Safety Village program led by Officer Gabe Stanton of the Westchester Police Department and supported by the Butler County Sheriff's Office and the charity 3 Little Halos.

"I'm Officer Gabe. I work for Westchester Police Department, and this is my second year running Safety Village," Officer Stanton told the board. “We teach multiple different topics. So we cover fire safety, stranger danger, roadway safety, crosswalks. We talk about what to do at schools. We cover ALICE lockdown drills, as well as fire drills and tornado drills, so they have a better understanding when they start school.”

Stanton said the program is free to families and is funded through 3 Little Halos, a charity started by grandparents who raised funds after a 2008 fire. He said the Safety Village runs pedal car driving exercises and practical safety lessons. The district presentation identified Freedom Elementary School as the host site for Lakota Safety Village this summer.

Two program graduates, Willow and Brooks Viola, described favorites from the week; Willow said her favorite part was the "pedal cars," and Brooks said he learned about roadway safety and stop signs. The board thanked the program staff and volunteers; Officer Stanton said the summer session was at capacity with 320 registered students and that the program runs two sessions a day. He said the goal is to expand to about 480 slots in future summers.

Board members praised the program for preparing young students for kindergarten and for partnering with local law enforcement and community donors.