Columbus, OH - Today, Nationwide released an update on Make Safe Happen – the company’s program dedicated to reducing accidental injuries among children. Through a letter from chief marketing officer Terrance Williams, the company shared the program’s impact to date and forward-looking plans. The following letter to parents was posted on MakeSafeHappen.com:

Dear parents and all of those caring for children,

I have the pleasure of serving as chief marketing officer of Nationwide, but I view my most important role as being a good father to two bright and active boys. Like most parents, raising healthy and well-adjusted children is my number one priority. While I take great joy in watching my sons grow, each new stage of childhood brings new risks and worries for their safety – be it on the playing fields, at school, or even in our home. According to our recent survey of more than 1,000 parents with children under 13 years of age, 93 percent think that, compared to other locations, their home is the safest place for their child¹. It’s not every day that we think about the potential safety risks in our own homes as the most serious. Unfortunately, accidental injuries, such as poisoning, drowning and home fires, are the leading cause of death among children². I also now know that nearly 50 percent of these accidents actually happen at home³. Because of this, Nationwide continues our mission to raise awareness and to help parents take action to keep their children safe.

Last February, Nationwide launched Make Safe Happen, a program dedicated to driving awareness and action around accidental childhood injuries. At that time, we started a conversation on this important, but also very difficult, issue. Since then, I’m proud to share that we have made significant progress to empower parents and families in the U.S. to improve home safety behaviors. We convened a Make Safe Happen Advisory Council – an esteemed group of injury prevention and child safety experts from media outlets and leading nonprofits, such as Safe Kids Worldwide and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Together, we’ve educated hundreds of thousands at events across the country, through the app, and through the tips and resources on our website.

We know more needs to be done. According to the survey, the majority of parents (69%) are looking for more updated information on today’s child safety issues. So, this year, with the guidance of our Advisory Council, Make Safe Happen will focus on educating caregivers on four critical at-home safety risks. They are: furniture and TV tip-overs, poisoning, drowning and fire. These serious, complex and potentially fatal issues require greater attention and understanding, which is why we are eager to inspire one million safety actions by the end of the year. We believe this is a lifesaving goal that we’ll track throughout the year at MakeSafeHappen.com.

To reach our goal, we want to share lifesaving information with parents, and help communities and homes that need it most. In partnership with our newest Advisory Council member, the American Red Cross, we will install fire alarms in houses and provide grants for youth swim lessons in high-risk, low-income communities across the country.

We encourage you to take your own action today by downloading the app, watching a safety video or attending one of the Make Safe Happen safety events that will take place across the country in 2016. And, of course, help us inspire more parents and caregivers to take action by spreading the word on social media using #MakeSafeHappen.

As a parent and long-term Nationwider, I am highly committed to this program. Please join the movement to make our homes as safe as possible for our children. On behalf of my colleagues at Nationwide, we very much look forward to making a real difference in families’ lives through one million safety actions.

Respectfully,

Terrance Williams
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer

About Make Safe Happen®

Make Safe Happen is a program dedicated to reducing accidental injury – the leading cause of death among children. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly nine million children are treated at emergency rooms across the country and more than 9,000 children die each year due to accidental injuries. Protecting child safety and wellbeing for more than 60 years, Nationwide launched Make Safe Happen in 2015 to empower parents, caregivers and children with tools and resources to make homes safer. Together with its Advisory Council, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Worldwide, Make Safe Happen is committed to inspiring one million safety actions by the end of 2016 with the hope of reducing childhood accidental injury and death. The Make Safe Happen app is owned by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and was developed by the safety experts in their Center for Injury Research and Policy. To learn more and take action, visit www.makesafehappen.com. 

About the Make Safe Happen® Advisory Council

The Advisory Council to Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program encompasses a complementary group of experts and organizations dedicated to child safety and wellbeing, including but not limited to nonprofits, health practitioners, media and consumer product groups. Members include the Ad Council, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Red Cross, The Compassionate Friends, Farm Safety for Just Kids, International Association for Child Safety, International Association of Fire Fighters, Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, National Association of Counties, National Safety Council, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Nickelodeon, Parents Magazine, Safe Kids Worldwide and Safe States Alliance.