Lincoln Police Seek Donations For Child Safety

Lincoln Police Department is conducting a campaign in partnership with the National Child Safety Council to raise money to help promote and educate children on child safety prevention, drug prevention and how to respond to bullying, said police Chief Russell Morphis.

Using a Lincoln letterhead, the child safety council mailed out letters to area businesses telling about the campaign and providing different levels of donations that people can make toward the program. The letter includes an addressed envelope and people who want to donate are asked to send a check made out to the National Child Safety Council, not made out to Lincoln or not to send cash.

The letter has Morphis’ signature on it and his telephone number. Morphis said anyone who has any questions can contact him.

The donation envelopes come to the Lincoln Police Department but are then placed in another envelope and mailed to the council.

“We do not have our hands on the money,” Morphis said. “We don’t cash the checks. This way there is a paper trail.”

The safety council will let Lincoln police know how much has been donated and Morphis said he understands that all money donated will be available for Lincoln to spend on materials from the National Child Safety Council.

The department’s School Resource Officer will use the materials, which could include coloring books, pamphlets and other items enjoyed by children, at Lincoln Elementary School during the 2015-16 school year.

“This will provide materials for the SRO to distrib- ute and use in the school,” Morphis said.

The National Child Safety Council is the oldest and largest federal tax-exempt, nonprofit charitable organization in the country, according to its website. Its mission, the website says, is to prevent needless childhood accidents and help save lives through safety education. Its national headquarters is based in Jackson, Mich.

The national organization has materials available on numerous topics, including drug prevention, internet safety, general safety, gun safety, child protection and bullies.