The Lima Kiwanis Club learning about another service club's pride and joy.
Lima Police Officer Eric Mericle telling the members about the Lima Noon Optimist's Safety City. The program has been around since the mid-70s and has seen thousands of children benefit from the classes. Safety City is located on Collett Street and is back up and running after a brief respite from the pandemic. Summer classes saw dozens of children graduating and Mericle is gearing up for the school year and the "RAD" program.
"What we teach them is good strangers bad strangers. Bad person, bad stranger is somebody who tries to trick you. Whether it be hey I've got candy, oh come here mom's been hurt I need to pick you up. We want to teach them how to handle the situation and get away from that person," explained Officer Eric Mericle, Safety City Officer.
There is an open house at Safety City on Saturday, September 17th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mericle invites the public out to see what the program is all about. There will be food, fun, and games for everyone!
