Published on February 18, 2010

Local Contractor Donates to Keep Rock County Kids Safe

Dean Foundation to Expand Its Passenger Safety Programs

Children throughout Rock County will soon benefit from the generosity of a local building contractor. J.P. Cullen & Sons is donating $37,500 over three years to Dean Foundation to expand the Foundation's Passenger Safety Programs including Crash Helmet^®, BUCKLEBEAR and Every Ride a Safe Ride.

J.P. Cullen and Sons is one of the leading building contractors in Wisconsin and one of the oldest in the nation. Cullen has successfully completed hundreds of major projects for business, healthcare and government-ranging from the restoration of the Wisconsin State Capitol and Milwaukee's City Hall Building to new construction projects at the EPIC Systems campus and the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital and Dean Clinic.

"These passenger safety programs are something kids and families in our community easily identify with," says President & CEO of J.P. Cullen & Sons, David Cullen. "We are excited to sponsor Dean Foundation, which will bring these programs to Rock County and make Crash Helmet^® and BUCKLEBEAR part of kids' education."

"We are touched by the generosity of J.P. Cullen & Sons," says Dean Foundation Fund Development Coordinator Daniel Muxfeld.  "Their donation will make more car seats available to families and offer bicycle and car safety education to kids throughout Rock County."

Dean Foundation's Passenger Safety Programs have been well-known throughout Dane County for years.  Now these programs will be made available to residents of Rock County. All three of the following are part of the Dean Foundation Passenger Safety Program:

• The Crash Helmet^®Program educates children and adults about the importance of always wearing a bicycle helmet whenever you ride. Bicycle accidents are a significant cause of brain trauma injuries for riders of all ages.
• Child-friendly mascot BUCKLEBEAR educates hundreds of children in pre-schools and early elementary schools about the importance of being safely secured whenever traveling by car. This is because automobile crashes are still the leading cause of death for children under the age of 14. Plus, crash studies show eight of ten car seats in the U.S. are improperly installed.
• And finally, through the Every Ride a Safe Ride Program, Dean Foundation provides low-cost car seat rentals to anyone who needs one. The Foundation also has Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) on staff and sponsors many car seat inspection clinics.

For more information about these programs, visit the Dean Foundation section.