Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute

Child playing in backyard with a giant exercise ball and laughing.

Dedicated to helping children

The Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) is a non-profit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts that is committed to keeping children safe. It was founded in 1981 by the Kiwanis Foundation of New England in partnership with Tufts Medical Center.

KPTI was created to address the need for better medical care, research and safety outreach programs for children who have suffered from trauma. KPTI is supported by various organizations such as The Boston Foundation, the New England District of Key Clubs, Circle K and individual donations. Local high school Key Clubs and university Circle K groups help KPTI with outreach programs by raising funds, developing new programs and implementing programs in schools.

KPTI partners with several organizations, such as the Greater Boston Safe Kids Coalition, the Partnership for Passenger Safety and ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation.

Community programs

The safety of children should be a top priority for everyone. KPTI provides safety information and materials to help organizations in New England host programs that benefit children and families. Our aim is to help you keep children and families safe, and we hope our materials can assist you in achieving this goal. We distribute these materials for free to local police and fire departments, schools, daycare centers, emergency medical teams, medical clinics, hospitals and other groups that can benefit from them.

New England Kiwanis, Key, and Circle K clubs can request these materials for free by filling out the order forms and returning them via email or mail (or, if noted, for a donation to replace the requested items). We will ship these materials within 3 weeks of receiving the request.

We are happy to provide the requested materials to other organizations and will try our best to accommodate them free of cost. If we cannot provide the materials, we will suggest where they can purchase them. Please note that we can only ship the supplies within New England (excluding Bermuda, part of the New England District of Kiwanis). You can download all safety information for non-profit or personal use.

Download the order form

Bully-free Zone activity book

Inspire bully-free attitudes and actions with the Bully-free Zone activity book for kids ages 9-13.

Reviewed by experts, the Bully-free Zone was created by Child Safety Solutions and integrates fun with key bullying prevention messages, including:

What bullying is
How to know if you are a bully and what you can do about it
Ways to stop a bully from bothering you
How to deal with cyberbullying
How to make your school a bully-free zone

Featuring tweens talking to tweens, this colorful booklet gives kids the opportunity to collect "Big Bonus Points" and stay away from "Big Damage Points" as they work through bullying-prevention activities. These booklets can be distributed to schools, after-school programs, youth sports organizations, PTA and parent groups.

Car seat sticker

The car seat sticker provides emergency medical personnel with information about a child in case of an accident in which the child's parents or guardians are not present or are unable to identify the child. The sticker provides information about the child's identity and any important medical information, such as who to contact in an emergency, the child's doctor's name, and any special medical conditions the child may have.

We provide stickers to Kiwanis Clubs and groups such as:

Ambulance companies
Medical helicopter personnel
Doctor's offices
Parent's groups
Schools
Daycare

Concussion information

HEADS UP to Youth Sports is a Center for Disease Control program that brings awareness to the dangers of head trauma in young people, particularly those in youth sports.

We have fact sheets (available in English and Spanish) for athletes, parents, teachers and coaches with information about:

What a concussion is
What are the symptoms
Prevention and preparedness
What to do if you suspect a concussion

Request concussion information with the Community Order Form.

Early childhood injury prevention packets

This program offers packets of safety information for parents of young children. In these packets, we include:

Car seat identification sticker
Child Passenger Safety booklet
"All Babies Cry" Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention
"Children In and Around Cars"
Burn prevention brochure
Home safety checklist booklet
"Helping Baby Back to Sleep" SIDS prevention
Fall prevention tips
Electric outlet covers
Temperature-sensitive bath duck

Due to the popularity of these packets, it may take longer than 3 weeks to receive your order.

These are great for medical, education and community organizations, such as:

Doctor's offices
Maternity units
Parent's groups
Daycare centers and homes
Birthing education centers
Prenatal clinics
Pediatric clinics

Electric outlet safety covers

Always keep electrical sockets covered, especially when there are small children nearby. Electric outlet safety covers are important to prevent children from getting hurt when they insert their fingers or other objects into open electrical sockets. Electric current can cause severe damage to the body, which conducts electricity well. Children can be hurt in different ways as a result, such as:

By the electrical effect on the heart resulting in cardiac arrest
Destruction of muscle from electrical current passing through the body
Burns on the skin from contact with the electrical source

Each packet includes 24 covers and is already included in the early childhood injury prevention packets, so there is no need to order them twice. These are ideal for medical, educational, and community organizations, such as:

Doctor's offices
Police and fire departments
Parent's groups
Hospitals
Daycare centers

First aid + CPR chart for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics

The first aid and CPR Chart from the American Academy of Pediatrics is a large 11" x 17" wall chart that includes first aid guidance on one side and choking and CPR guidance on the other. Topics include burns, scalds, fractures, sprains, head injuries, poisons, skin wounds, stings, bites, and CPR.

These can be distributed to:

Pediatrician’s offices
Parenting groups
Hand out at events for the public

Helmet identification sticker

Helmet stickers placed inside a helmet provide contact and identification information to emergency medical personnel about an injured child.

We provide these to groups like:

Local police and fire departments
Schools and after-school programs
Bike rodeo events

"I'm Safe On My Bike in New England" an interactive activity book

Kiwanis form with two animals riding bikes safely

"I'm Safe! On My Bike In New England," an interactive bicycle safety book for grades K-3, was created in conjunction with Child Safety Solutions. This book inspires kids and parents to ride safely through fun, interactive bike safety activities.

We provide materials in English and Spanish:

A One-Minute Safety Challenge for Parents (answers on the inside back cover)
Making sure drivers can see you
How to check your bike
Helmet use
Following safe riding rules
And more!

We are proud to share that our program has been recognized and featured in newspapers across the country as well as over 150 radio and television programs, including CBS This Morning, UPN, WGN, PBS stations, National Public Radio, and the Total Living Network. Our injury prevention titles, "I'm Safe!", have been reviewed and recommended by Safe Kids Worldwide, making them a reliable source for keeping you and your loved ones safe.

Key clubby bears

New England District of Key Club distributes cuddly teddy bears to emergency medical facilities, ambulance companies, medical helicopter services, police departments and fire departments to help calm injured and frightened children.

The New England Key Club sponsors a program that provides bears free of charge to New England Key Clubs and K Family Clubs. Each club can receive up to two cases (24 bears) per year. However, if any Key Club, Kiwanis, or any other organization needs more than 2 cases, they are welcome to request them by donating $100 per case. This donation will help us replenish our stock and continue providing these bears to those who need them.

Kiwanis family safety day + bike rodeo

Each year, about 18,000 children participate in this fun and educational day sponsored by local Kiwanis clubs, police departments, fire departments and other organizations throughout New England. This program provides:

Information for children and families about bike safety
Step-by-step instructions from planning and promoting your safety day from set-up to clean-up
Helmets are available at a reduced cost (see part 6 of the rodeo manual for the order form)
Printed bike safety information handouts
Helmet reflectors and identification stickers
Announcement posters
Certificates of achievement
Bicycle inspection checklist
A to Z by Bike, a comprehensive guide to safe bicycling for kids and adults
Bike Basics, a AAA brochure about safe biking

Download the bike rodeo manual

Part 1: Agenda for the day, publicity tips, costs, supplies, logistics + timeline
Part 2: Rodeo stations
Part 3: Handout samples
Part 4: Order forms for handouts
Part 5: Sample verbiage for press and day-of handouts
Part 6: Ordering information for helmets at discount pricing from Helmets R Us and Bell Sports

We created the Kiwanis Family Safety Day and Bike Rodeo in 1994 and have been improving it ever since!

Bike rodeo form

Safety handouts

We have a variety of safety items available for distribution at community events. You can order any of these:

General

Activity and coloring book—safety-themed word puzzles, mazes, rebus pictures, etc. for children ages 5-15
Home safety checklist—4-page booklet listing ways to keep your children safe at home

Safety brochures

Window safety
Summer safety
Pedestrian safety
Water safety
Holiday and winter safety
Fire safety
After school safety
Poison information

Car safety

Car seat stickers—to be placed on car safety seats to identify a child in an emergency.
Children in and Around Cars—brochure
Protect the One You love—car seat information

Bike safety

Bike safety packet—4 pages: Bike inspection checklist; State bike helmet law & five common accidents; Message to parents, teachers and motorists; and Easy steps to properly fit a bike helmet
Bike Basics—12-page booklet from AAA of New England on bicycle safety tips
Helmet stickers—identifier stickers to place inside a helmet in case of emergency

Safety handouts order form

Contact

Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute

Tufts Medical Center

800 Washington Street

#344

Boston, MA 02111

617.636.6381

617.636.8321

kptiorders@tuftsmedicine.org

Special projects

Ace's Place Playroom

The playroom in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Tufts Medical Center has been renovated thanks to the generosity of the Ace Bailey Children's Foundation. KPTI accepts gifts of toys, hospital dolls, blankets, CDs and DVDs for the children to use in the playroom. For those who are not well enough to go to Ace's Place, child life specialists bring toys and diversions to the patient's bedside.

Blankets for patients

It's heartwarming to know that someone cares for you, especially when you're not feeling well. Members of Circle K from across New England take the initiative to create and donate soft fleece blankets for the patients in our care. These blankets are warm and incredibly soft, and they make a world of difference to young children who are often stressed due to their injury or illness, and the treatments they have to undergo. We frequently witness young patients tightly holding onto their blankets as they head back home.

Car seat distribution program

We provide the pediatric emergency department at the Tufts Medical Center with car safety seats for distribution to families who do not have one, or whose car seat was damaged in a trauma. The car seats are available at a greatly reduced cost, or free to those patients whose families cannot afford to purchase a car seat for their child. This program was initiated by the New England District of Circle K.

Helmet distribution program

We supply helmets to the pediatric emergency department, the mother and infant unit, NICU and the general pediatric clinic at Tufts Medical Center. These helmets are distributed to patients' families who cannot afford to purchase one for their child's wheeled sports. The program is ongoing, and the helmets are provided free of charge.

Kiwanis family waiting room

Families spend many hours here while their children are in surgery. New England Circle K, KPTI, and the Kiwanis Foundation of New England have updated seating, artwork, painting and other aspects of the waiting area. The focal point remains the large Circle K quilt framed and hanging in the main room.

Tufts Medical Center artwork

Many of the hallways and public spaces at the Tufts Medical Center are being brightened. Efforts are coordinated through the Art for Health committee. The Circle K members have donated painted tiles, two large quilts, and 16 small quilts made by the members of the Milo and Brownville, ME Kiwanis Club and young hospital patients. These small quilts now hang in waiting rooms and hallways at Tufts Medical Center.

One of the 16 quilts is made by the patients of Tufts Medical Center, Circle K, and the Milo and Brownville, ME Kiwanis Club. Apart from these quilts, other donations include a unique needlework by the San Blas Indians of Peru from Kiwanian Corinne Francis. This needlework is located in the Kiwanis Family Waiting Room.

Near the waiting room is a quilt made by the special needs children of the Sunshine School in Bequia, West Indies. Kiwanians Bill and Jeanne Livingston spent six months of every year helping the people of the islands with medical donations and training for young people. Sadly, Jeanne is no longer with us, but Bill continues traveling to the islands each winter with supplies.

KPTI established the Hap Gerrish Injury Prevention Resource website

The Hap Gerrish Injury Prevention Resource website is an injury prevention resource hub for parents, professionals, organizations, contributors and the general public to utilize to prevent injuries to children.

Identify injury prevention studies conducted by other researchers to replicate them in an individual’s community or expand them to different populations and injury prevention topics.
Visit website

About KPTI

A partnership between the Kiwanis Foundation of New England, Tufts Medical Center since 1981, the KPTI is located at Tufts Medical Center in downtown Boston, Massachusetts.

History

Our story began in the late 1970s with a desire of New England Kiwanians to serve children with a comprehensive, long-term commitment. Many ideas for helping children were discussed, but pediatric trauma, a new and underserved area of medicine was chosen. Dr. Harold "Hap" Gerrish, a dentist from Maine and long-time Kiwanian, presented the idea of a center for medical treatment, research, and safety outreach programs to Tufts Medical Center. In 1981, the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute was founded. A helicopter first-response program was part of the initial plan and today KPTI and the Tufts Medical Center are members of the consortium of hospitals that support Boston MedFlight.

We are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. The programs and services provided by the institute are supported by the Kiwanis Foundation of New England, Tufts Medical Center, The Boston Foundation, the New England District of Key Clubs, the New England District of Circle K, and by donations from corporations, foundations and individuals.

Resources

Community safety

We care deeply about community safety. We provide safety information to Kiwanis clubs and other organizations, so they can distribute it to hospitals, parent groups, daycare centers, medical emergency providers, police and fire departments, and doctor's offices. We offer a program called "The Kiwanis Family Safety Day and Bicycle Rodeo" to teach children and their families how to ride bikes safely in a fun and interactive way. The program can be hosted by local clubs and community groups.

Fundraising

Key Club (high school) and Circle K (university) groups throughout New England and the U.S. help with many of our outreach programs by raising funds, developing new programs, and implementing programs in local schools.

Give now

Affiliations

We partner with several organizations, including Boston Children's Hospital, ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation, and various national, state, and local agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Boston Public Health Commission, Safe Kids Boston, and the mass.gov injury prevention program.