By Arthur Foulkes
TERRE HAUTE — Thursday night’s blue moon brought out the wolf in several Terre Haute residents.
“Aaaahhh-ooooooooo,” howled more than 20 people standing on the sidewalk on Wabash Avenue downtown Thursday evening to mark the first Howl for Child Safety event designed to promote car safety seats for children.
“I’m so glad it’s mostly kids who are here,” said James Wallace, who organized the howling with his wife, Amanda. The Wallaces’ granddaughter, Heavenlee-Angel Johns, 5, was critically injured earlier this month in an auto accident. She was wearing a seat belt, but was not in an approved child safety seat, according to the Indiana State Police.
Johns remains at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis where she was listed in critical condition Thursday, a hospital spokesman said.
Indiana law requires that children younger than age 8 traveling in a motor vehicle be securely fastened into a federally approved car or booster seat appropriate to the child’s height and weight. A first offense violation of this law is a class D infraction.
Despite the temperatures reaching down to 19 degrees, about two dozen people took part. Wallace hopes to make this a monthly event at different locations.
“If we can help save just one life, I’d be happy,” said Dane Johns, father of Heavenlee, who also attended the howling event with his wife, Jamie.
Many children added their howls to the loud chorus that pierced the chilly night about 6:20 p.m. between Sixth and Seventh streets on Wabash Avenue. Among them, four young members of Troop 22 of the Boy Scouts of America at Ryves Youth Center took part. The troop, appropriately enough, is known as the Wolf Patrol, said Dan Snider, a former scout leader and the Ryves representative with the troop.
In addition, Rob and Heather Roberts brought their four children, ages 8 months through 9 years, to help with the howling. Heather Roberts is active with ValleyMoms.com, which — among other things — promotes child safety.
According to the Indiana State Police, the percentage of children killed or seriously injured in auto accidents in 2006 was significantly greater among kids not in car seats compared to children who were fastened into car or booster seats. In that year, more than 10 percent of children involved in accidents who were not properly restrained were killed or seriously hurt compared to about 31/2 percent among children properly fastened into car seats.
Thursday evening’s blue moon — the second full moon in December — was hidden behind clouds, but Wallace, an amateur astronomer, knew exactly where it was and had all of the howlers facing the western sky at the appropriate time. On the count of three, they all let out a loud howl.
“I love to howl,” Wallace told the other howlers. “We pray and we hope that not another child gets injured in the upcoming year.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
