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Mall adds food, activities to Old Navy safety event
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WILLIAMSBURG — Old Navy’s Kids Safety Event brought emergency vehicles and personnel to Williamsburg outlet mall last weekend.
The new owner of the mall donated money to bring in additional activities, such as face painting, balloon shaping and food trucks.
Old Navy stores across the United States and Canada host the annual event to raise money for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Sarah Degen, a paramedic with Iowa County Ambulance and a Williamsburg first responder, welcomed children to the ambulance in the parking lot outside Old Navy.
“This is our newest ambulance in our fleet,” Degen said. The children like the equipment. “They just like to kind of see what’s inside. It’s like a mini emergency room on wheels.”
In addition to climbing in and exploring the ambulance, children received coloring books and stickers from the ambulance crew.
The event is bigger than it has been in the past, said Degen. Food trucks and activities, such as face painting, were new this year.
Inez Hoeft, 4, wearing a sweatshirt covered in colorful yellow ducks, displayed the fire helmet on her head. “She has autism, and she loves first responders,” said her mother, Emily Stephens. So when Stephens heard about the event, she had to take her daughter to the mall to see everything, she said.
Davorah Lawson and her sister, Tala, looked over the merchandise at the first responders table. “I saw it on Facebook,” said their mother, Molly Irmen. She loves a good, free event for the kids.
Davorah said the event was fun. She likes the firetruck. “I like that they save people,” she said. “That’s what I like about them.”
Williamsburg Fire Chief Chris Pankow said it’s good to get people out to see what emergency services do for the community. “This is their tax dollars at work,” he said.
Though it’s called the Kids Safety Event, its really for anyone, said Pankow. “All ages realize what we’re here for and they’re not alone.”
Even the adults like to explore the firetruck, said Pankow. “They want to turn the lights on too.” If firefighters had the hoses out, adults would want to try them out, he said.
Williamsburg First Responders Director Evan Welsh was accompanied at the event by Kevin, his dog, who was celebrating his third birthday.
Welsh’s wife, Amana, handles specialty leasing and marketing for the mall, and she and Evan helped line up emergency vehicles for the event.
Evan said the event drew significantly more people this year, perhaps twice as many. “This year is actually amazing outside,” he said. The last two years have been rainy or cold.
Josh Bray, the mall’s new general manager, said the mall is excited to partner with local agencies to meet the community. While Old Navy actually hosted the event, the mall, as a whole was happy to see it.
The goal for the mall is to partner with the community, said Bray. The mall doesn’t want to be thought of as a separate entity. “We want to be part of Williamsburg, part of Iowa County.”
