Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen® Program Commits to
Empower One Million Safety Actions
Matt Nicol Sponsor Relations Account Executive
Nationwide
614-359-7342
[email protected]
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 welladjusted 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.
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,
In February 2015, Nationwide launched Make Safe low-income communities across the country.
Happen, a program dedicated to driving awareness
and action around accidental childhood injuries. At
We encourage you to take your own action today
that time, we started a conversation on this important, by downloading the app, watching a safety video or
but also very difficult, issue. Since then, I’m proud
attending one of the Make Safe Happen safety events
to share that we have made significant progress to
that will take place across the country in 2016. And,
empower parents and families in the U.S. to improve of course, help us inspire more parents and caregivers
home safety behaviors. We convened a Make Safe
to take action by spreading the word on social media
Happen Advisory Council – an esteemed group of
using #MakeSafeHappen.
injury prevention and child safety experts from media
outlets and leading nonprofits, such as Safe Kids
As a parent and long-term Nationwider, I am
Worldwide and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Together, we’ve educated hundreds of thousands
see NATIONWIDE, page 20
6 West Virginia Farm Bureau News