Green recognized with state award for her role in child safety
By Ken Luchterhand
Candice “Wiiha” Green received one of the biggest surprises of her life on August 25.
She received an award for her program as Child Passenger Safety Program of the Year at the 42nd Annual Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Highway Safety in Green Bay.
The award was a total surprise to Green. She didn’t even know she had been nominated.
“I was just there, attending the convention, when my name was called. I was shocked,” she said. She was a presenter at the conference and her supervisor Rob Voss previously nominated her for the award.
Green is the Injury Prevention Program coordinator with the Ho-Chunk Nation Injury Prevention Program. The program consistently distributes car seats and participates in safety events throughout the state. The program reaches out to Tribal Head Start, Youth Services program and Tribal Women Infant Child (WIC) Program with child car seats and education.
Each year Wisconsin Information Network for Safety recognizes an outstanding CPS Technician, CPS Instructor and CPS Program of the year that have been nominated by their peers and co-workers. The awards are in honor of Beth Kindschi of Monroe, Wisconsin, who is a lead instructor and pioneer in the field of child passenger safety in Wisconsin and on a national level.
With her program, Green holds two educational events per year at each of the Ho-Chunk Head Start facilities, one at the beginning of the school year and another in February.
“I touch on everything related to motor vehicle safety, such as using seat belts, distracted driving and proper use of child car seats,” Green said.
She is working in many communities, but she also tries to be at many public events.
Since she has been working in the department, she has been part of many educational programs to promote vehicular safety. One of those events is a mock crash in April 2016 at Black River Falls High School, which included between 300 and 400 students. It was a collaborated effort of the Black River Falls EMTs, the Mayo Health Systems of Eau Claire and her department.
“People know my department for giving out child car seats, but in 2016 and 2017, another emphasis will be to campaign and educate to lessen or prevent distracted driving,” Green said.
So, what she has been doing is gathering data for her study for the Ho-Chunk Nation.
“The numbers I have collected show that there is a steady increase in distracted driving, mainly people using their smart phones,” she said.
To collect her data, she sets up a station where she can closely observe motorists, a different location each time, and count the number of people talking on their phones or texting. She can be found in highly visible areas around town at all times of the day, but mostly starting very early in the morning.
The grant is asking for such information to determine the trend, both before and after an informational campaign.
“But, in the meantime, I am still giving out car seats,” she said. Many of the car seats are given out to parents of children attending Ho-Chunk Head Start facilities. In total, her department gives out between 60 and 80 child car seats per year.
Green also serves as president of the Greater Black River Falls Area Safety Council, is in charge of the Injury Prevention Coalition, and participates in the Children's Coalition.
One of her projects is the billboard along Highway 54 between the Tribal Office Building and Ho-Chunk Gaming – Black River Falls. The billboard shows a picture of Bronson Koenig and offers the message not to text and drive.
She will have a display at General Council and will offer a Wisconsin Badger T shirt to the first 200 participants to fill out a questionnaire that is part of the “# Just Drive” campaign.
Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the number one cause of death and fatalities of children. Child Passenger Safety advocates promote the safe transportation of children by using child restraints and educating parent/caregivers on how to use them properly.
Home