Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton recently hosted the first annual “X-treme Kids Day Camp,” a camp designed to teach the youth of Washington Parish healthy back to school habits, and personal safety. The camp was held for ages 9-12, and cost $15 to register.

During the X-treme Kid Adventures, the children had the opportunity to: see that exercise is fun, by racing through a 30-foot obstacle course; learn about hand hygiene by seeing their germs under a black light; learn that rest is the best, by watching interactive videos about sleep; read labels to better understand better food choices, and even make their own healthy dessert.

The kids had visits from several of our local departments each one creating positive relationships, and teaching safety. The Franklinton Police Department stopped by and Capt. Mike Tate and Lt. Brandon taught the kids about peer pressure, and internet safety. The Franklinton Fire Department, along with the Washington Parish District No. 8 Fire Department, showed off their fire trucks, letting the kids work the hose, while teaching fire safety and what happens when they call 911. Northshore EMS gave a tour of their ambulance, and — of course — showed off their lights and sirens.

The big finale of the day was Rescue 9 landing their helicopter, giving the kids a front-row seat into their daily duties. Not that the kids were not already excited about their day, they were then given snowballs, and the opportunity to pie their camp counselors in the face. Thanks to Cerner, Riverside Medical Center’s electronic medical record, each kid left the camp with a basket filled with back-to-school supplies.

Riverside Medical Center plans to make this an annual event, with the hopes of opening the camp up to different age groups in 2018. Please follow Riverside Medical Center on Facebook or online at rmchospital.com to keep up to date on their calendar of events.