Young girls learned how to protect themselves online, from attackers, on ice and in case of an emergency — mostly because two older girls had set a successful example.

On Saturday, Feb. 27, Smithville Girl Scout troops 1280 and 1681 held a safety fair at the Smithville First Christian Church. Local law enforcement and other agencies educated the elementary and middle schoolaged girls on everything from first aid to online dangers.

The idea sprouted from a safety fair high schoolaged scouts Tessa Graybill and Courtney Darr held in conjunction with the Hot Summer Nights concert series last summer. The summer fair was Graybill’s and Darr’s big project for their Gold Award — the highest Girl Scout honor. The two are scheduled to officially receive the honor later this month.

During the Saturday fair, the two were proud of what they started.

“Our whole goal was to keep the safety fair ongoing. So this makes us feel like we really had an impact on our community,” Graybill said.

Darr added, “The girls here will take away the things they’re learning today for the rest of their lives, which is really great.”

The event could also benefit parents in the future.

The Kansas City Police Department, along with assistance from the Smithville Police Department, showed the girls the Save A Child program. Officers fingerprinted and photographed the girls, and then each girl left with a card that includes a picture, fingerprints and space for other vital information, such as dental records.

If a child goes missing, it’s good for parents to have all that information in one place, Smithville Police Capt. Jason Lockridge explained.

“You’d be amazed how many times we go to a house of a missing child and when we ask for a recent photograph, the parents go blank,” Lockridge said. “During those stressful times, it can be hard to pull all the information you need together. So when you have all the information together like this, if — heaven forbid — something happens, you’re prepared.”

Not only did the girls like seeing their fingerprints and pictures, they also understood the significance.

“If we get lost, we’ll be OK,” Emma Drake, a third-grader in Brownies, said.

SAFETY FAIR

- Who organized it: Girl Scout Troop 1280 co-leaders Jeanette Vernon and Robyn Cado and Troop 1681 co-leaders Barbara Gilbert and Doety Wright

- Which organizations participated: Smithville Police Department, Smithville Fire Department, Kansas City Police Department, ATA Karate and Children’s Mercy Hospital