The Columbus Dispatch
February 24, 1974

Unfortunately, the Highway Foundation dissolved in April.
The Chlad’s had to organize a non-profit organization and move to Cleveland.
For details refer to -Challenges.

DEFINITIONS for CLARIFICATION:

The SAFETY TOWN  program was founded by policeman Frend Boals in 1937 in Mansfield, Ohio as a traffic safety education program for pre-kindergarten children.

The program was expanded and updated by nursery school teacher Dorothy Chlad in l964 in Bedford, Ohio as a comprehensive safety education program for pre-school children and known as – The NEW CONCEPT of  SAFETY  TOWN – which included safety education related to the appropriate age, which later expanded to older children.

The definition is – SAFETY TOWN is a program that INTRODUCES safety awareness and preventive procedures to preschool children.

The NATIONAL SAFETY TOWN CENTER  was organized  by Dorothy Chlad in l964 to promote the program and the importance of pre-school and early childhood safety education.  It officially became a non -profit, volunteer organization in l974.  (Refer to – Challenges tab)

DOROTHY CHLAD’S PRESENTATION – September 14, 1973

Cleveland Democratic Women’s Club

“WOMEN IN BUSINESS AND POLITICS”

  1. DO NOT be a little bug in a rug stand up – see the entire rug. (Dr. John Furbay quote)
  2. Know how to stimulate people
  3. Get people to do what you want them to do – BUT – because they want to do it
  4. Don’t just be “statistically orientated” – explain/document your experiencs
  5. Adjust to situations – Don’t just critize have alternate plans to correct situations
  6. Be “open minded” to ALL suggestions
  7. People do make mistakes – let them explain
  8. Do not say “I am a woman and want the job”
  9. Being pleasant and understanding is far more successful
  10. My closing coment ” I will ALWAYS do anything I can to help further, or start, your career – BUT – before you contact me – be sure you do your “homework” with complete resume.”

Do ANY of the above apply today – May 12, 2021

Dorothy Chlad – ODHS, Judge Patton – Ohio President Ladies Club, Senator Howard Metzenbaum, Dorothy Fuldheim – Speaker, Gertrude Donohoe – Treasurer OH

This was one, of my early career highlights!
First – because I followed – Dorothy Fulaheim’s presentation.
Secondly – I was seated at the dias – between Mrs. Metzenbaum and Dorothy Fuldheim.
Thirdly – I had the honor of representing – Ohio Governor John Gilligan – by presenting two distinguished women with retirement awards for years of service.
After my presentation – Senator Metzenbaum – was very gracious and congratulated me and said “I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation.

DOROTHY VS DOROTHY selected 1st & 2nd in Ohio

DOROTHY FULDHEIM
Selected

DOROTHY CHLAD
Runner-up

1984 – LADIES HOME JOURNAL… interviewed Dorothy Chlad for their July issue in selecting the “Fifty American Heroines”. One representative from each state was selected. Dorothy Chlad… was runner-up to another Dorothy – that being Dorothy Fuldheim … the 91 year old newcaster/journalist who for 47 years had her own show nightly on WEWS-TV in Cleveland Ohio. She previously for many years was a radio journalist.

She was the first lady of TV news. More than three-and-a-half decades later, she was still the only female TV news analyst in the country. At age 87, she went overseas on assignment 3 times. During her years, she traveled extensively, interviewing leaders of many countries, in various professions, including the Duke of Windsor, Helen Keller, James Hoffa, Robert and Ted Kennedy, etc. She dodged bullets in Israel, tore her suit on barbed wire in Cyprus, shot at during Palestine’s war of independence, etc. She appeared on many national TV talk programs with Larry King, Johnny Carson, etc.

She was still doing commentaries and interviews at 91 when her first of two strokes ended her career, but she lived another five years and passed away at age 96 in 1989. A sampling of her feistness and her passion about many issues is preserved in her books.

A PERSONAL NOTE – Dorothy Fuldheim

“Through the years, I did several promotional events at WEWS-TV-5 and had the opportunity to visit with her on several occasions. She was always very pleasant and enjoyed talking with our – Safety Town – children and their parents.

One day, while waiting in the green room, she told me. “If I am re-incarnated, I want to come back as a 6′ tall woman… with 4′ of legs.” Men look at women from their legs up… I am only 4’11” when they look at me… all they see is my head”. She was funny!

During one of my visits, she told me that when she is in her office, she always answers the phone. I asked – why? She said “when I would call for a meeing of interview, in my early years, I had to go through several people before they connected me. That’s when I decided I would answer my own phone”.

What a great idea! That saves time, money and stress! She is the reason I have and will always answer my office phone – to help others!

It was an honor to meet… a ‘true legend”. -Dorothy Chlad

Safety Town on the move

There is only one organization in the world that provides a program of safety education training for preschool children, National Safety Town Center.

Based in Cleveland, president and founder of the center is a Solon resident, Dorothy Chlad.

Through the efforts of Mrs. Chlad, the center has fostered more than 300 programs through-our the United States. There are also Safety Towns in Canada Mexico, Germany, Sweden, Korea, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

There are 60 Safety Towns in the Greater Cleveland area, 100 throughout the state.

The majority of these programs were started since Mrs. Chlad organized her first Safety Town in Bedford 13 years ago.

Although she is considered the foremost authority on pre-school safety education in the country, she does not claim credit for creating the Safety Town.

Frend Boals, a Mansfield policeman started the first Safety Town in 1937: “He wanted to teach children how to cross the street because a little girl had been killed by an auto while trying to cross the street on her first day at school.”

Initially, the Safety Town program concern was exclusively with traffic safety.

By Emanuel Hughley Jr.
The Cleveland Press 1977

After. she started the Bedford program, she discovered that children needed to be taught safety in other areas affecting their lives besides traffic.

I found out that accidents cause more deaths than anything else, she said. “More children die from accidents than disease.

So Mrs. Chlad set out to change the Safety Town format from adult-oriented traffic safety tips to a total safety eduction program for preschool children.

“Selling the idea of pre-school safety education was like selling a snowball to an Eskimo,” she said.

She presented her concepts to local safety councils, National Safety Council and recently at a White House conference on safety held this past December.

Mrs. Chlad has studied many college courses on early childhood development and applied the concepts she learned in the classroom to the program.

She also wrote guide books and brochures for the program, thus making it more effective.

With more and more inquiries coming in about the Safety Town program, the need for national supoort and funding has become critical.

Entertainer Bill Cosby has agreed to serve as Honorary Chairman of National Safety Town Center. ‘Mrs. Chlad

and leaders of Jaycees, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, along with civic groups throughout the country are seeking support.

Mrs. Chlad estimted that half of the Safety Town programs throughout the country are sponsored by civic groups such as Jaycees and Kiwanis Clubs.

The staff of the Safety Town Center is composed of volun-teers. No one gets paid, not even Mrs. Chlad.

She estimated her annual travels in the name of Safety Towns, covers 60,000 miles, either driving or flying.

Money of her trips are paid for out of her pocket.

Mrs. Chlad’s enthusiasm for the program is infectious.

She has involved her whole family – husband Frank, who is a faculty member at Akron U and their 2 daughters, mothers, plus friends and neighbors.

A firm believer in community participation, she attributes the success of Safety Town to the fact that they are design to be operated by parents and teenagers in the communities where they are set up.

Mrs. Chlad gives credit to the parents and volunteers in each community. “They really are are the people who put the program together. I provide the initial presentation and stimulate the interest and they do the rest,” she said.

How does this work?

I think it goes here.

I did it! I’m ready to “drive.”