I still vividly remember my days working at a trauma center, treating victims of violence and traumatic events and working with communities to help prevent violence and injuries from happening in the first place.

I can clearly recall the faces and voices of children who came to the emergency department with injuries, and can still see the reactions of the parents who were told that their child had died from injuries; injuries that could have been prevented.  

And, I can recall how difficult it was for many of us to see children suffer and sometimes die from their injuries – our emotions obvious as we cleaned a dead child’s wounds so that his parents could see him for one last time.

Viewing the videos that people across the country submitted to the Seeing My World through a Safer Lens video contest reminded me of the many ways people can and do make their families, schools, and communities safer.  Their passion and enthusiasm to prevent injuries and violence — the #1 killer of people ages 1–44 — inspires me.

This week, the Injury Center announced three winners for the Seeing My World through a Safer Lens video contest in the following categories:

• Injury and Violence Prevention Professional Category: Safety Begins with You
• Student Category: Protect Your Brain, Wear a Helmet
• General Public Category: Things Men Say to Men who Say Things to Women on the Streets

These contest winners will receive a $500.00 prize for their winning videos, and will be featured across Injury Center web pages and throughout our social media channels.

I am impressed by the dedication, creativity, and hard work of all of the people who submitted videos. They offer glimpses into violence and injury prevention across the country – from older adult falls to cyber bullying, from helmet use to child passenger safety, and from violence prevention to teen driving safety. These videos tell the stories of people whose actions speak to their dedication to creating safer communities.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who took time to show us that we all can prevent violence and injuries – no matter where we live or who we are!