We Have a Little Emergency - Helping Your Hometown Partners Support WHALE of a Program

While driving to the store with a baby in the backseat of her car, the child's caregiver is knocked unconscious in an accident. Rescue workers find the child is uninjured but emotionally upset.

Due to her injuries, the caregiver can't identify herself or the child and first responders wonder if there is any vital medical information they should know about the baby. Moreover, they can't address him by name and have no way of knowing if the unconscious woman is his mother or how to notify any of his relatives.

Enter the WHALE program. When Connie Day, a child caregiver in Richmond, Va., imagined that distressing scenario, she developed the WHALE Child Safety Seat Occupant Identification Program. WHALE, an acronym for We Have A Little Emergency, consists of an identification and information package for child car safety seats. The program is now recognized in more than 30 states nationwide.

Through the use of an informational label, which is placed on the back of a child car safety seat, and WHALE vehicle and car seat stickers, which are placed on both rear windows of the car and both sides of the car seat, the program provides rescue personnel with pertinent information about children riding in the car seats of vehicles involved in accidents. This information includes the child's picture, name, address, important medical needs and who to contact in an emergency.

WHALE finds support. The Jr. Woman’s Club of Bowling Green learned about the program, thought it was a great idea and wanted to introduce it to the community. Due to their strong commitment to the communities they serve, the Helping Your Hometown Partners, Leachman Buick GMC, Greenview Regional Hospital and WBKO, were asked to help distribute this vital information packet.

The Helping Your Hometown Partners, in conjunction with the BG City Police, BG Jr. Woman’s Club and the BG Woman’s Club, are funding the project.

You can pick up W.H.A.L.E. packets at Greenview Regional Hospital, Leachman Buick GMC or WBKO. For more information call WBKO at 270/781-1313 or e-mail hyhpartners@wbko.com