So I am thinking about starting an ERF charity in Raleigh, NC need suggestions

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
Ok, So I will admit it I have become a little obsessive with carseats lately. I am so over seeing children in my area that are in wrongly used carseats. I was shopping for LO a carseat at Buy Buy Baby the other day and was talking to another mother about extended rear facing and she was very interested and I realized that hardly anybody knows about this in our area. So for christmas I am trying to organize a car seat drive (not used) for carseats that rear face to 40+LBs. I am going to try to get my CPS certification or find somebody in the area that has it cause I'm sure in the 1 million ppl we have theres bound to be somebody. I mean I know it would be easy just to do scerenas but I would like nicer seats like the MR so that these parents can use these seats longer. Any suggestions to starting this up. I just realized that there is nothing like it in the area and I really want to get word out there
 
ADS

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I would not donate to a charity that gave "nicer" seats purchased at retail. I would want to reach the most children possible, and Sceneras or Tributes through a coalition are the way to go.

There's an active SafeKids chapter in your county. Why not work through them?
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
Probably what would be best for right now is to contact your local Safe Kids coalition. Here is the main state coalition as well as numerous local coalitions to search (looks like there are 4 pages of local coalitions):
http://www.safekids.org/in-your-area/coalitions/north-carolina-state.html

They probably already have grants in place for getting donated seats as well as the knowledge of how to get the word out. If you could get involved with them, I bet you could do a great deal of good. Starting out with our own organization might be more difficult.
 

Baylor

New member
Ok, So I will admit it I have become a little obsessive with carseats lately. I am so over seeing children in my area that are in wrongly used carseats. I was shopping for LO a carseat at Buy Buy Baby the other day and was talking to another mother about extended rear facing and she was very interested and I realized that hardly anybody knows about this in our area. So for christmas I am trying to organize a car seat drive (not used) for carseats that rear face to 40+LBs. I am going to try to get my CPS certification or find somebody in the area that has it cause I'm sure in the 1 million ppl we have theres bound to be somebody. I mean I know it would be easy just to do scerenas but I would like nicer seats like the MR so that these parents can use these seats longer. Any suggestions to starting this up. I just realized that there is nothing like it in the area and I really want to get word out there

Awesome!! Maybe go here...
https://ssl13.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbza...tegory1=TAB9_CERTSEARCH&Webid=safekidscertSQL

Find a tech near you and work from there.. I think there is a lot that can be done.. even if it is raising money to funnel towards the cause..
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
It just seems to me that they aren't getting out into the areas that I'm living or parents just dont care. I am really active in the community and I just want to get the word out their more
 

Baylor

New member
I know that feeling. You just want to do something to get the ball rolling. One thing that was suggested to me was to look for a seat check day and then offer to help with paperwork or just volunteer to be on hand.. And talk to people and see what would help in your area. There is nothing wrong with starting a charity to raise money for better seats for the community and maybe it is something that could funnel the money to the local safekids get good seats to be used there. I think someone told me that you can earmark the money for certain things and local use.
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
Well I just sent an email to my local safe kids to see their suggestions so I will see. I was thinking I could at least start in my church even some of them are using their carseats incorrectly
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
I would not donate to a charity that gave "nicer" seats purchased at retail. I would want to reach the most children possible, and Sceneras or Tributes through a coalition are the way to go.

There's an active SafeKids chapter in your county. Why not work through them?

I'm not trying to get "nicer" seats I'm trying to get seats that will last longer. I mean what good would it be to get a scerena and then the child grows out of it and the parents stick them in a HBB or LBB that would have done nothing in my eyes. Cause it rearfaces to 40lbs and it forward faces to 40lbs.
 

Baylor

New member
Well I just sent an email to my local safe kids to see their suggestions so I will see. I was thinking I could at least start in my church even some of them are using their carseats incorrectly

As a newer member here, I know exactly how you feel. Now that you know, You want to do something. I feel the same way. I plan on getting certified and seeing what I can do locally to help.

Take it one step at a time. Maybe see if people in your church are up for a seat check and see if there is a tech near you that would want to help.
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
Except that for my son.. He was 40 lbs at 2.. and by height and weight he is fine for a booster.

So education is key too..

But isn't it still safer for them to be harnessed "AS long as possible"
I mean carseats are harnessing up to 70 or 80lbs now. I would not feel comfortable with a 5 year old in a hbb all the time. Maybe occasionally but I know my nephew is 6 and his parents have him in a booster and he still doesn't look safe. (these are coming from the parents to turned their daughter FF at 9 months)
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Well, that's why I wrote "around age 5". No, of course a 2yo should not be in a booster. And even some 5yos shouldn't be. That doesn't, IMO, justify giving $150 seats to every parent. Start with a Scenera/Tribute/Titan and have a few HWH combo seats available for those who *need* them.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I agree th easiest route is to work with an existing entity: SafeKids or another organization in your area. Setting up a non-profit is no easy task. You need to apply for tax-exempt status with the IRS and whatnot. I'm not sure how long it takes, but I'd be amazed if you could get it done in time for Christmas.

I do think it's great that you want to get involved, and hopefully you'll find a way to help your SafeKids chapter, and hopefully they can help you help others, too (helping with a class for parents, holding a seat check, etc).
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
But isn't it still safer for them to be harnessed "AS long as possible"

There have been many, many, many contentious threads about this in the past week or two. Please search.

There is no evidence (hard statistical data) that children should be harnessed "as long as possible". There is some non-conclusive evidence that harnessed seats are safer in some kinds of crashes, and some non-conclusive evidence that boosters are safer in other kinds of crashes.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
But isn't it still safer for them to be harnessed "AS long as possible"
I mean carseats are harnessing up to 70 or 80lbs now. I would not feel comfortable with a 5 year old in a hbb all the time. Maybe occasionally but I know my nephew is 6 and his parents have him in a booster and he still doesn't look safe. (these are coming from the parents to turned their daughter FF at 9 months)

We've had about 3,000 discussions on this the past few days. As long as the belt fits and the child sits properly, a 5-year-old is perfectly fine in a booster. My own child was boostered full-time around 5.5.

As for the Scenera, isn't there a 40-lb version now, or am I hallucinating?
 

Baylor

New member
But isn't it still safer for them to be harnessed "AS long as possible"
I mean carseats are harnessing up to 70 or 80lbs now. I would not feel comfortable with a 5 year old in a hbb all the time. Maybe occasionally but I know my nephew is 6 and his parents have him in a booster and he still doesn't look safe. (these are coming from the parents to turned their daughter FF at 9 months)

That could be because maybe he is not properly seated and belted.. but at 6 he should be good in a booster. I agree.. Harnessing longer is getting more and more play. And personally I feel that it is best too..

I think you are right where I was a few weeks ago.. You want to do something and help right now and it is not always that simple. I agree about giving seats that have longer rf/ff weights.
But I think that you have to take little steps and learn more and then apply what you learn in the right way.

When I first started learning here I was a mess... All I could see was badly strapped in kids, Kids ff way to early..

Just take it one step at a time. This is not an area that can be fixed in one blow. It takes lots of little steps..
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
I mean I dont mind scerenas at all (except that I can't get a good install in my jeep AT ALL rearfacing) I know that it takes me atleast 20 min to get an "ok" install. I just want to beable to give away a carseat that doesn't take alot of hassle for one to install cause if it does its more likely its not going to be installed correctly. I know I can put in the myride in 5 min and its rock solid. I was really asking for ways to go about doing the donation not really trying to debate about harnesses or anything but I have contacted safekids and hopefully will hear back from them tommorow. I dont mind working under somebody but I want to do a carseat drive kind of like the diaper drive they are doing in my area right now or the toy drives that some places do.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Another thought on high-weight rear-facing seats: Most parents won't rear-face past 1/20 even if they have a seat that would get their kid to 5/45.

I'd rather see three kids RF to 1 in $50 seats than one kid RF to 3 in a $150 seat.

Does that make sense?

Yes, I want the education out there, and I want to encourage people to RF as long as possible, but not at the expense of other families not being able to meet even the bare minimums.
 

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