Kid safety workshops offered in Santa Cruz County

It’s been nine days since 8-year-old Maddy Middleton was found murdered near her home in Santa Cruz. The news shocked the community and now parents are taking action by enrolling their kids in Kidpower classes. It’s a non-profit based in Santa Cruz that teaches kids to recognize a potentially scary situation.

“With the events going on in Santa Cruz it’s kind of been on everybody’s mind,” parent James Benvenuto said.

Benvenuto and his partner Jeanette brought their 5-year-old daughter to the packed class Wednesday night. They were devastated to hear about Maddy’s death.

They’re not the only people concerned, as of Wednesday night all classes are booked andthere’sa waiting list to get in.

“We’ve been flooded with calls and emails ever since that happened. It’s like after an earthquake, you know, that’s when people are most likely to do earthquake preparedness,” Kidpower founder Irene Van Der Zande said.

Van Der Zande teaches kids through demonstrations to speak up, always check in with your parents and be aware of everyone they encounter. In Maddy’s case, her attacked was a 15-year-old boy police said she knew well.

“They need to be able to tell their adults if a neighbor wants them to go over to the house, not just because of something like just happened, but because their safer,” Van Der Zande said.

Still, when a terrible crime like Maddy’s happens, parents start to worry every more.

“I never thought that would happen in our community so after that and with this one being as friendly as she is we really needed to take some extra steps,” parent Jeanette Burke said.

Due to the demand for classes in Santa Cruz County, Kidpower is working to schedule more workshops in the next few weeks. To find out more you can visit their website at www.kidpower.org.