Dick Heidt - City Magazine

| SAFETY TIP
ATA MARTIAL ARTS:
Kidz'n Power
By Mike Wetsch
It has been said that bad things can happen
to good people. Unfortunately, in today’s
world, all too often our youth are the
target of these “bad things”.
We have become a society where we continually
experience the appalling results of children
becoming victims of childhood predators. A
scary statistic shows that many child predators
commit crimes against children over 100 times
prior to their first arrest.
Many convicted child predators continue to
commit crimes against children an additional
10 times after their release from custody and
before a subsequent arrest.
As members of a socially responsible society,
we must work together to ensure the safety of
our next generation.
Wayne Materi, owner and instructor of
ATA Martial Arts, is committed to the safety of
our youth. On April 20, a Kidz’n Power Child
Safety Seminar is hosted by and held at ATA
Martial Arts at 801 West Interstate Ave.
The two classes on April 20 are free of charge
and open to area youth. The first is for children
ages four through seven from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. A second class for children ages eight and
up runs from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Space is limited so make sure to call in advance.
Leave your name and number, and ATA
Martial Arts will call to confirm your child’s
registration.
Kidz’n Power is a national program created
by ATA Martial Arts and assists children in
developing the skills to empower them to make
safe decisions when encountering the possible
threat of a stranger.
Endorsed by AmberAlert.com, many aspects
of the seminar deal directly with abduction prevention
strategies. Participants will learn about
the many dangers of encounters with strangers.
Children will receive instruction in selfdefense
tactics and participate in role-playing
scenarios. Each child will receive a free child
identification kit that includes emergency
contact information, personal and medical information,
physical characteristics, photograph
procedures, fingerprint sample chart with ink,
dental chart and DNA collection directions
with baggies for DNA samples.
The identification kit is a valuable resource
for law enforcement in the event a child is
missing. Each child will receive a certificate of
completion at the end of the seminar. As an
added bonus, attendees will receive free classes
thru April 30th at ATA Martial Arts.
For additional information for the Kidz’n
Power Child Safety Seminar or additional classes
at ATA Martial Arts, readers are welcome to
contact Wayne Materi at 701-224-1663.
Mike Wetsch is a deputy with the Burleigh County
Sheriff’s Department and assigned to the patrol
division.
The Safety Tip
is sponsored by:
38 thecitymag.com