Greater Sayville coverage is funded in part by The Shed, your scratch kitchen for brunch and dinner daily at 21 Main St. in West Sayville.
Ten Sayville businesses have signed up to participate in the community’s new Safe Stop program for youngsters.
Launched this week by the Greater Sayville Civic Association, the program promotes a community where children feel safe walking through town, as well as maintaining an environment that keeps youths aware that they are expected to act respectfully toward their peers and adults.
“The purpose of the Safe Stop Program is to develop and maintain the friendly, inviting culture we have here in our Sayville community,” reads a statement on the civic association’s website. “Believing in the old adage, ‘It takes a Village,’ we look at this program as a way to cultivate and continue the relationships between our business owners, parents, children and community-at-large.”
The civic association worked closely with business owners and the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce in developing Safe Stop. The following businesses have already volunteered to be Safe Stops:
By a Thread • Inspiring Wellness, LLC • Islip Auto Collision • Michelle Burton Interiors • Out of the Blue • Sayville Running Company • Stride Rite • Teach Consulting Services, Inc. • TD Bank • Zenith Abstract, LLC
Safe Stop was established with four important goals:
• Welcome young community members into town to patronize businesses and turn them into loyal long-time consumers.
• Reassure parents that the community is safe enough to allow their children to walk through town and visit our shops.
• Identify businesses whom pledge to provide a safe, welcoming place for children who may feel lost, scared, nervous or hurt to seek help.
• Create an environment where pre-teens and teens are aware that appropriate behavior is expected of them and that we are always keeping an eye on them.
Safe Stop locations are identified by purple “Safe Stop” decals in the shape of a stop sign, shown in the window of the participating businesses.
To participate in Safe Stop, businesses can visit the civic association’s website at www.greatersayvillecivicassociation.com.
Participating shop owners are empowered to redirect inappropriate behavior, according to the civic association. Shop owners pledge to keep an eye out for minors being bullied or feeling threatened in their store or surrounding area.
“Arrangements will be made to contact parents, a responsible adult or the authorities to ensure the safety of the child,” the civic association says on its website.
Safe Stop comes on the heels of another safety initiative for young people in the area. Safety Surge involved local authorities driving around the streets of Sayville and nearby communities on a Saturday afternoon, rewarding young bicycle riders for wearing helmets and giving out free helmets to kids who were on bikes and not wearing helmets.
Check out the ‘Safety Surge’ details in the GreaterSayville.com story below:
