A nonprofit started by a woman whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered is teaming up with the Seal Beach Police Department to make sure what happened to her girl won’t happen to any other child.
City authorities and The Joyful Child Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at preventing crimes against children, will hold a weeklong program in August to teach kids how to protect themselves.
Stanton resident Erin Runnion started the nonprofit after a man abducted, sexually abused and killed her 6-year-old daughter Samantha in 2002.
July 15 marked the 10th anniversary of her abduction. She would have been 16 last Thursday.
The radKIDS Children’s Personal Safety and Empowerment Program will run Aug. 6 to Aug. 10
The program will teach kids how to dial 911 (children will get to call 911 from a cell phone), as well as provide safety tips on a number of topics including escape routes, internet safety, drugs and alcohol awareness and bullying.
Officers and volunteers will also show kids how to physically resist and escape aggression and possible abduction.
The program will run two hours each day for two separate age groups: 5 to 7 year-olds and 8 to 12 year-olds.
To register for the program, parents must attend the mandatory parent meeting at the Seal Beach Police Department at 7:00 p.m. Aug. 2 at 911 Seal Beach Boulevard.
Space is limited and registration is first-come, first-serve.
For more information about The Joyful Child Foundation, contact email inquiry@thejoyfulchild.org.
For more information on the program or other community police programs, contact Sergeant Steve Bowles at 562-799-4100, extension 1160 or sbowles@sealbeachca.gov.
