Ohio AAP Promotes Child Passenger Safety Week and Awards Ohio Senator Peggy Lehner with Advocacy Award

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is promoting Child Passenger Safety Week September 16-22, 2012. The national public awareness campaign’s goal is to emphasize the importance of children being properly secured in appropriate seats when traveling.

“A longtime advocate of Ohio's children, she was the Booster Seat Bill Champion in the Senate and lead the charge with her colleagues to pass this legislation. Without her drive and passion for the issue, we would have never been able to pass the booster seat law”

In conjunction with this effort, the Ohio AAP will be awarding Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) with the Antoinette Parisi Eaton Advocacy Award at its Annual Meeting September 28-29, 2012.

“A longtime advocate of Ohio's children, she was the Booster Seat Bill Champion in the Senate and lead the charge with her colleagues to pass this legislation. Without her drive and passion for the issue, we would have never been able to pass the booster seat law,” said Ohio AAP Executive Director Melissa Wervey Arnold. “To recognize her advocacy for Ohio’s children, and therefore furthering the mission of the Ohio AAP, we are delighted to honor Senator Lehner with this award.”

Senator Lehner is currently serving her first term as the state senator for the 6th Ohio Senate District, and has been named chair of the Senate Education Committee. She served one term in the Ohio House of Representatives as well as 10 years as a member of Kettering City Council. She represents Ohio on the Midwest Higher Education Compact and is an ex-officio member of both the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents. And finally, she is now the co–chair of the Children's Caucus, which is looking at various issues around children in Ohio.

To learn more about Child Passenger Safety Week, visit the Chapter website at www.ohioaap.org or http://www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS .

The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) promotes the health, safety and well being of children and adolescents so they may reach their full potential. The Ohio AAP works to accomplish this by addressing the needs of children, their families, and their communities, and by supporting Chapter members through advocacy, education, research, service, and improving the systems through which they deliver pediatric care.