Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Halloween safety should be part of the fun

 
Halloween is already full of little scares, but by keeping safety in mind, West      Side residents can help avoid any larger ones this year.
Andrea Todoro, Principal of West Buffalo Charter School, recommends that children should either have a reflector or flashlight with them while trick-or-treating, make sure they are with an adult at all times, and that parents should be checking the candy their kids are collecting.
“Halloween is something fun for the kids, but it’s also something parents worry    about,” said James McNeil, Program Director at the Belle Center. “We always stress to   parents that when their kids trick-or-treat, that if they are not there, that they have an older sibling or they travel in groups, that way they are never alone.”
This year, the West Side Community Center on Vermont Street will be hosting a Halloween party on Halloween night for members of the community, as a possible         alternative to trick-or-treating.
The Buffalo Police Department endorses the idea of going to a Halloween  party  rather than having children trick-or-treating. According to the Buffalo Police, there are a number of safety tips that they would recommend, such as making sure  children have    their parents’ home and cell phone numbers, that they do not take any shortcuts through alleys, and for homeowners, making sure they maintain clear walkways. For more         Halloween safety tips, you can visit the Buffalo Police website   at www.bpdny.org.
For more information on the West Side Community Center’s Halloween party,    you can contact them at 884-6616. By Mhairi Moorhead and Joseph Losito