Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Safe Kids Kansas Honors Childhood Injury Prevention Advocates

TOPEKA, KAN.—Safe Kids Kansas presented their annual awards in a ceremony today at the Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka.

Awards include the prestigious Dr. Dennis Cooley Award of Excellence, named in honor of pediatrician Dr. Dennis Cooley of Topeka.

This year’s Cooley Award was presented to Phyllis Larimore with Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics.

Phyllis Larimore is a nurse with Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. She has been a long-term member of Safe Kids Kansas, serving on coalition’s Board of Directors and multiple committees.

“Phyllis Larimore has spent the past 30 years dedicated to preventing injuries to children.  Her leadership in research, advocacy, and the development and implementation of policies and programs has saved lives and prevented the suffering of children in numbers that cannot be measured.  We are grateful for her support and collaboration with Safe Kids Kansas,” Said Cherie Sage, State Director for Safe Kids Kansas.

Larimore’s extensive knowledge and expertise also benefits the multitude of safety and prevention-based coalitions and committees on which she serves.

Her collaboration with Safe Kids extends to many local Kansas coalitions, as well as surrounding states, including Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

Safe Kids Kansas also presented awards for Outstanding Partnership for Child Safety, Outstanding Coalition Organization, Local Coalition of the Year, and Service Recognition awards.
  • The Outstanding Partnership for Child Safety award was presented to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
  • The Outstanding Coalition Organization award was presented to the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office.
  • The Local Coalition of the Year award was presented to Safe Kids Cowley County. 
Service Recognition Awards were presented to Jeff Rozwick, Webmaster for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Office of Communications for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment.

For more information about Safe Kids, visit www.safekids.org and www.safekidskansas.org.