H2O Home Alone Fall 2021

Photo Credit: John Rowell

Join our upcoming session of Home Alone!

HOME ALONE is a volunteer program designed and run by high school students to teach young Lakewoodites about how to stay safe when home alone. Our program is open to children of Lakewood between the ages of 9 and 12 and has been specifically created to address the concerns that were commonly expressed by children of the same age during our data collection period.

Based on these concerns, we found that our focus should be centered around six main topics: First Aid, Emergencies, Tricky People/Street Smarts, Routines & Siblings, Internet Safety, and especially due to the recent effects of Covid-19, Mental Health.

While children are presented with researched information from high school students, parents attend a similar presentation from safety professionals. After each Home Alone program, we ask for feedback from parents and their children on what they have just experienced. In response to being asked what the best part of HOME ALONE is, one parent said, “gaining knowledge on some serious topics through the experience of small groups and with older students allowed our student to learn and grow in a safe environment.” When asked about how the program impacted families in light of the pandemic, one parent responded “Yes - as we are coming out of the pandemic and can't always be home, it was important to use to have our son go through this course to be able to stay home alone for short spans of time.”

Though the exact impact varies among families, it is clear from our parent and student feedback that the HOME ALONE program has a strong positive influence on the families who attend, and the community as a whole.

Registration information can be found on the Lakewood Foundation website: www.thelakewoodfoundation.org or by following the QR code. This final session of 2021 will be held on Tuesday, November 16th at Garfield Middle School.

Greta Frantz is a senior at Lakewood High School and a dedicated volunteer with H2O. She is a Project Design Leader in the First Aid group of HOME ALONE.

H2O is a youth volunteer program sponsored by the City of Lakewood’s Division of Youth Office. H2O receives tremendous support from the Lakewood City Schools, the Lakewood Foundation, generous donors and a dedicated group of adult volunteers.

Greta Frantz

Greta Frantz is a senior at Lakewood High School and a dedicated volunteer with H2O. She is a Project Design Leader in the First Aid group of HOME ALONE.

H2O is a youth volunteer program sponsored by the City of Lakewood’s Division of Youth Office. H2O receives tremendous support from the Lakewood City Schools, the Lakewood Foundation, generous donors and a dedicated group of adult volunteers.

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Volume 17, Issue 21, Posted 3:04 PM, 11.03.2021