Families Welcome at Free Safety Camp and Kids’ Fun Fair Saturday, June 3

Sixth annual Camp Bandage – Grand Lake will provide safety, health and first aid training for children of all ages.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer season, which means many families will soon be heading to Grand Lake for fun in the sun.

Before going in, on or around the water, it’s a good idea to make sure every member of the family, especially children, understands that putting safety first will make summer even better.

Water safety is just one of a wide variety of topics that will be presented during Grand Lake’s favorite safety camp and kids’ fun fair Saturday, June 3.

Free and open to the public, Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is an educational and fun-filled opportunity for children of all ages to learn critical safety information covering everything from outdoor recreation, water safety, health, first aid and weather to injury and substance abuse prevention, fire safety and much more.

The sixth annual family-friendly event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Grand Lake RV Resort on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Children will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with first responders from the Grand Lake area, including fire, police and EMTs, as well as explore helicopters, fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, patrol boats, cranes and a fire boat.

In addition to the many safety classes, demonstrations and hands-on activities, the fun will also include karaoke, dancing and games.

The event’s finale will be a mock car crash demonstration at 2:30 p.m..

Presented by Grand Lake area law enforcement members and first responders, the mock crash allows those watching to learn how emergency responders conduct rescue efforts in real-time and see what their jobs entail. Organizers say the demonstration will also teach families, especially young children, about the dangers of drunk driving.

Prior to the mock car crash demonstration, featured speaker Amanda Scott will share her first-hand experience of surviving a fatal drunk-driving crash that tragically killed her best friend, Kendra Gonzalez. The co-workers and longtime friends from Pryor were hit by a 32-year-old drunk driver. Scott was life flighted out. Gonzalez died on impact.

Since the crash in 2015, Scott, who endured numerous surgeries for her injuries, found a way to turn her tragic experience positive by serving as a Victims Impact Panel speaker.

The Victims Impact Panel of Oklahoma, Inc. (VIP) is a court-recognized program aimed at combating drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs. The program offers a unique perspective to the impaired driver by presenting in-person testimonies of those who have been directly affected by someone’s choice to drive under the influence, i.e., a victim, rescue professional and a DUI offender.

Being a VIP speaker allows Scott to make a difference and possibly save lives.

“I have been doing this so long, I’ve talked to maybe 500 individuals,” Scott said, who speaks at the panels nearly every month. “People have told me they would never drive drunk or under the influence of drugs again because of hearing my story.

“It’s also been very beneficial to my healing. VIP allows me to speak for myself and for Kendra.”

Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is organized by Grand Nation, a nonprofit grassroots coalition that has been serving the Grand Lake area since 2012.

“Every year, we try to bring new information and more vendors with the latest resources to Camp Bandage – Grand Lake. This year, we are honored to have Amanda Scott once again share her story with us,” said Jennifer Hinson, Grand Nation executive director.

“Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that about 37 people in the United States die every day in drunk-driving crashes. We believe that Ms. Scott’s story and the mock crash will be a powerful prevention tool for everyone who sees it.”

Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, everything is free at Camp Bandage – Grand Lake, including admission, prizes, hot dogs and drinks. T-shirts will be given away to the first 500 children as they arrive at Camp Bandage.

The event will be hosted by Grand Lake RV Resort at 31527 South 4510 Road, Afton, Okla., on Duck Creek. Only registered service animals are allowed.

If you would like to attend Camp Bandage, be a vendor or volunteer at the event, visit CampBandage.org/GrandLake or the Grand Lake Camp Bandage Facebook page for more information.

ABOUT GRAND NATION

Grand Nation is a nonprofit grassroots coalition that has been serving the Grand Lake area since 2012. An umbrella organization for a number of different programs, Grand Nation joins families seeking a better life with the resources and community organizations that can help them achieve their goal. Located at 123 S. Wilson, in Vinita, Grand Nation serves the communities of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, including Vinita, Grove, Jay, Afton, Ketchum, Langley, Miami, Bluejacket and Spavinaw. The phone number is (918) 276-2192.

ABOUT CAMP BANDAGE

Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is an off-shoot of Camp Bandage – Broken Arrow, which was started in Broken Arrow by Dr. A.L. Gerner and his wife, Shirley, in 1983, as a one-day event designed to educate the community on how common accidents and injuries can be prevented. For more than 35 years, businesses and organizations across the community have come together each year to teach children everything from injury prevention, first aid and CPR to bike, water, fire and home safety. Each year, the Broken Arrow Police and Fire departments are on hand to simulate responding to a car accident in order to educate the community on how emergency responders work together.

MEDIA CONTACT

Jennifer Hinson

Executive Director, Grand Nation

www.GrandNation.org

jennifer-hinson@grandnation.org

(918) 276-2192 office

(918) 256-2193 fax

(918) 915-0236 cell

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