Carbon County's Community Safety Day was recently recognized for its efforts to educate the public.

Last week, Mindy Graver of Penn State Extension in Carbon County and a driving force in the event over the last few years, announced that the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Association felt the event, held on the first Saturday in May, was "an exemplary example of partnerships in the community."Because of this, the project was entered into the NEAFCS Community Partnership Team Award, which recognizes outstanding community partnerships while meeting the needs of families through area collaborations.The event, which is hosted by state Sen. John Yudichak, Carbon Lodge 242 of Free and Accepted Masons, Kid Zone Blue Mountain Health System and the Carbon County Commissioners, took second place in the award in the Eastern Region and was presented to Graver at a conference in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.Graver presented the organizational team with certificates for helping with the planning of the event. The team included Graver; Commissioners Wayne Nothstein and Thomas J. Gerhard; Yudichak; Carbon Lodge 242 of Free and Accepted Masons; Melanie Zeigler of the Pennsylvania Department of Health; Dave Horvath, Mauch Chunk Lake Park director; Mark Nalesnik, Carbon County Emergency Management Agency coordinator; and Scott Christman of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.Nothstein commended Graver for all the work she has done with the organization with implementing the Fun-N-Safety Fair, which started in 2007 on one block on Fifth Street in Jim Thorpe and has grown to fill the swimming and parking areas of Mauch Chunk Lake Park.The Carbon County Community Safety Day, previously known as the Carbon County Fun-N-Safety Fair, aims to educate the public about the importance of being safe.In 2013, Yudichak partnered with the former Carbon County Safe Kids and Masonic Lodge and the event was moved to its current location at the lake.Since 2013, the Community Safety Day has grown in size and popularity with families and is made possible through business donations and dozens of volunteers.Community Safety Day will again be held at Mauch Chunk Lake Park on May 7.