News - Wheeling Hospital’s Safety Town, and ‘Miss Beth,’ Celebrate 25 Years of Service to Children

Wheeling Hospital’s Safety Town, and ‘Miss Beth,’ Celebrate 25 Years of Service to Children

July 16, 2010

WHEELING, W.Va. – To two generations – and more than 4,000 youngsters – she’s been known as Miss Beth. Now Beth Zebick is busy wrapping up her 25th year as coordinator and lead instructor for Wheeling Hospital’s Safety Town, the hugely popular traffic and home safety program for children.

But Zebick has no intentions of putting the brakes on her Safety Town involvement. “I absolutely love this part of my job,” she said. “And now I’m seeing the children of some of my original Safety Town kids.”

In the two-week course held outdoors at the hospital’s Howard Long Wellness Center (HLWC) twice each summer, children ages 4 and 5 learn all types of traffic and home safety rules.

Zebick has been directing Safety Town since its inception in 1985. As coordinator of Wheeling Hospital’s Community Education and Outreach Department, Zebick would naturally head the program. But one gets the impression that she would volunteer for the duty no matter her position.

Joe Slavik, manager of the HLWC, said, “Beth is one of a kind. Her dedication to children is unsurpassed. She treats every child under her direction as if they were her own and makes each of them feel special. Her leadership of Safety Town over the past 25 years is just one example of her compassion and eagerness to serve others, especially children.”

Dr. Judy Romano, director of Wheeling Hospital’s Center for Pediatrics, said, “Safety Town has become an institution.

“It’s a rite of passage for the little ones to go through. Plus, it has served as a wonderful role model for teenagers as they turn around and become volunteer instructors for Miss Beth.”

One of Safety Town’s former instructors grew up to attend medical school. Dr. Brad Schmitt is now a family medicine physician with Medical Group Associates at Wheeling Hospital. And this year, his 4-year-old Isaac attended Safety Town.

Kathleen Stefanow, a Guest Relations receptionist in Patient Services at Wheeling Hospital, said she and her husband, George, sent all four of their children – Nick, Kate, Alissa and Laura – to Safety Town. Their three daughters all became instructors, with two of them volunteering for two summers.

“Our ‘kids’ are now ages 16 to 25, but I’ll bet they still remember some of the words to the safety songs they learned,” Stefanow said. “I learned them, too, because they always sang them in the car. And the kids loved the little houses in Safety Town.”

She said that as Safety Town students, the children enjoyed the carpools with their friends and making new buddies. As instructors, they looked forward to working with the youngsters.

“And they loved Miss Beth,” Stefanow said. “That’s why they came back as instructors. She really made a great impression.”

Safety Town combines old-fashioned common sense with street savvy smarts to educate children on ways to protect themselves at home and away. The children also are schooled in bicycle, roller blade, skateboard and scooter safety. The Wheeling Fire Department steps in with its fire safety house and Ohio County Schools loans a school bus to help teach the children bus safety. A trip to the Wheeling Park playground combines fun with education, as the children are taught how to stay safe on the playground equipment.

A highlight of Safety Town is the actual town, constructed by Wheeling Hospital’s Maintenance Department. The children operated miniature pedal cars through the town’s streets and past the pint-sized hospital, fire and police departments, church and school, all the while learning about seatbelt and traffic safety.

Sgt. Shaun Flanegin of the Wheeling Police Department has been an integral part of Safety Town for the past 15 years, teaching gun safety and helping the children be more comfortable with police officers. He has observed first-hand the effect Zebick has had on the youngsters in her care.

“I can’t say enough positive things about Beth as far as her interaction with the children,” Flanegin said. “If Safety Town had a face, it would be Beth’s. She does a phenomenal job and the kids really enjoy her.

“She’s had as much a positive effect on me as she’s had on those children. Beth has just the perfect all-around personality for Safety Town.”

Zebick’s dedication to Wheeling Hospital and the community doesn’t end with Safety Town. She also organizes the annual Cancer Survivors Picnic; coordinates the Heart Walk and Light the Night; assists with Relay for Life; coordinates Safe Sitter, Boot Camp for Dads, Look Good-Feel Better; and assists with Shapedown for Kids. In addition, Zebick coordinates Lifelife connection assistance for area subscribers.

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Contact: Gregg Warren, Vice President-Public Relations and Marketing,

304-243-3260