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Photograph by Douglas Rider
K-9 officer Shawn Ahearn spins his partner, Cetaan, to show how much he likes to play during some time-off at the Sunnyvale Family Health and Safety Fair. Ahearn and Cetaan demonstrated at the fair what they do on and off duty.
Fair Play
Sunnyvale residents flock to the Health and Safety Fair to learn about safety
BY Gretchen Knaup
Offering everything from free massages to a bicycle stunt show, Sunnyvale's Health and Safety Fair at the Columbia Neighborhood Center on April 28 was a success, according to event coordinator Arley Marley.
"I think on the whole, everything went very well," Marley said. "I think everybody that was there had a great time. The collaborative effort of the three groups; the Rotary Club, Columbia Neighborhood Center and Public Safety went extremely well."
Residents, both young and old flocked to take many practical advantages, while simultaneously being entertained by various presentations.
"Cool!" shouted a young boy of Sunnyvale, as he ran toward the rescue helicopter that had landed on the lawn at the Columbia Neighborhood Center. The Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, UCSF Stanford Health Center flew in overhead to provide the citizens with information on flight rescue. "This is a foreign entity to the public, so we just want to educate the public on what we do," said Matt Tozer, a flight registered nurse. "It's for the public to see."
Adjacent to the helicopter, there was a different kind of safety education at the Canine Unit demonstration. A large crowd gathered while Officer Shawn Ahearn explained the equipment and protection work of the Canine Unit of Sunnyvale public safety. He informed citizens about what exactly the dogs do for the community, and why they do them.
Ahearn asked of the crowd, "We have hands, but what do dogs have instead of hands?" When the crowd responded with teeth, Ahearn explained, "They're biting because they are holding onto them. They don't want [suspects] to get away."
Photograph by Douglas Rider
Danny Valdez jumps over Tony Peloquru and four other audence members as an example of what people can do if they remain drug-free. The exhibition was part of the Sunnyvale Family Health and Safety Fair Saturday at Columbia Neighborhood Center.
Some of the organizations with information booths included the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Santa Clara Social Services Agency for Foster Care Recruitment, Dentistry in Motion, Golden Gate Optical, Aids Information Resources and Services, the YMCA, Community Development Services as well as Freemont High School's program "Road to College." There was also Kaiser, the National Marrow Donor Program registering donors. According to Jerry Quintana, an employee of the National Marrow Program, 24 people participated registered at the fair.
"There was a lot of ethnic minorities, so that was good," said Quintana enthusiastically. "We hope to come back next year and do it again," "A little bit of pain is worth saving someone's life," added Sunnyvale resident Connie Portele while donating.
Every hour on the hour "Perfection on Wheels" began a round of bicycle stunts, accompanied by music and an energetic announcer. Preceding the stunt show was a bike safety presentation. "It was really great because we wanted to get the safety in there with the stunts," said Phyllis Fowler, a volunteer and spectator of the show.
In the same arena, State Farm bike rodeo offered safety tips as well as photos for children with the State Farm Bear. The rodeo was an opportunity for kids to practice straight-line control, cycling and changing direction, weaving and maneuvering as well as mounting and dismounting from their bikes.
Police officers were on hand to answer any questions the public might have regarding pedestrian or bike safety. "We are more approachable on bikes than in our squad cars. People feel like they can talk to us," said police officer Basim Abu-Hamid.
The Aids Resources and Information Services (ARIS) provided information on HIV prevention. "The unique thing about coming here is getting to the entire population, not just kids but all groups of people," said spaces program director Herald Atkins.
Residents were also able to check out books from Sunnyvale Public Library's Bookmobile. "If people can't come to the library, the library comes to them," said librarian Beth Nord. "We go everywhere from schools to mobile homes and retirement homes. It's just a real nice asset for the community."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
