Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Housing Opportunities of Warsaw worked this summer to assure 10 homes in Kosciusko County were lead-free and a safe place for residents.
Warsaw Housing Authority Executive Director Pam Kennedy reported on lead paint elimination projects HOW organized during the Kosciusko County Lead-Safe Task Force meeting Wednesday.
Kennedy presented a slide show of volunteers who participated in the Community Day of Caring who helped remove lead hazards in 10 homes.
The event was Aug. 16 and volunteers from Grace College spent the day improving 22 homes.
Kennedy said Greentree Environmental tested the homes for lead at no charge and showed the volunteers where the hazards existed.
Lowe's Home Improvement donated supplies such as spray bottles and plastic sheeting for volunteers to stabilize lead hazards.
She said there were two home rehabilitations completed in Winona Lake that had lead paint where windows were removed and replaced.
Kennedy informed the task force that National Lead Prevention Week is Oct. 22-28.
Ginger McKee, Warsaw's Women Infants & Children coordinator, said the clinic will provide information about lead poisoning to people enrolled in nutrition education in October to celebrate the week.
Bob Hallmen, of Greentree Environmental, said he will attend the Indiana Lead-Safe and Healthy Homes Conference Oct. 24 and 25 in Indianapolis.
The conference will include keynote speakers from the Indiana State Department of Health talking about lead poisoning prevention.
Hallmen said he will give a report about the conference to the task force at its November meeting.
The task force also watched a video during the meeting on a family from South Bend whose son has lead poisoning.
The video reported that there are more than 64 million homes in the United States that contain lead-based paint and that lead paint is the number one environmental poison for children.
The task force will meet again Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. in the Kosciusko Community Foundation building.
Lead task force members who attended the meeting included Pam Kennedy, Ginger McKee, Bob Hallmen, Missy Crawford-Smith and Laura Cooper. A Grace College student studying social work also attended the meeting.
