‘Agents of Safety’ Play Energizes Kids in Oxnard
“Play it safe around electricity!” shouted Delilah Ornelas, 7, on stage during a recent performance of “Agents of Safety,” a live interactive play that teaches children about electricity and electrical safety, at the Day for Kids celebration in Oxnard.
With her help, secret agents Moldy and Skuller were able to stop the evil Slug from using electricity unsafely — like overloading outlets or mixing water and electricity.
Her older brother, Andrew, 11, looked on proudly from the audience.
“I know little kids are curious about stuff and they want to learn about what happens, but you want them to learn not to play with dangerous stuff like electricity,” said Andrew.
Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, has been providing an annual grant of $100,000 to the National Theatre for Children to
As a parent, I believe it’s our responsibility to ensure that our communities are safe around electricity. The opportunity to come to work with the Boys & Girls Club today is just a small thing we can do to give back to the community and ensure the safety of our children.
Andrew S. Martinez
SCE Vice President
produce the educational arts program since 2012.
The siblings are members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, which has been hosting the annual Day for Kids community event since 2005 and serving the youth of Oxnard and Port Hueneme for more than 60 years.
Edison International presented a $15,000 grant to support the nonprofit’s ongoing STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) programming efforts this year, totaling $142,000 in grants since 2000.
“STEM is important for young kids because that’s where their careers are going to be,” said Erin Antrim, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. “We’re just really grateful for our partnership with SCE. We can’t do this work without our community partners.”
The club’s STEM programs include a NASA simulation center, underwater robotics program and soon-to-be-launched Girls Who Code program. Its goal is to make a positive impact on youngsters like Delilah and Andrew.
Andrew’s favorite subject is technology. “It helps us do stuff,” he said. “If there is no electricity or technology, we would be bored and there would be no entertainment in the world.”
SCE volunteers also hosted a booth at the Day for Kids event, offering fun activities and games to help kids learn about energy conservation and safety around electricity and power lines, including keeping metallic balloons away from power lines.
“As a parent, I believe it’s our responsibility to ensure that our communities are safe around electricity,” said Andrew S. Martinez, SCE’s vice president of Safety, Security and Business Resiliency, after introducing the “Agents of Safety” performances. “The opportunity to come to work with the Boys & Girls Club today is just a small thing we can do to give back to the community and ensure the safety of our children.”
In addition to the two special performances at the Day for Kids event, two actors from the National Theatre for Children will be performing “Agents of Safety” at 32 schools across SCE’s service area this fall.
“I learned how to stay safe around electricity!” said Delilah. “Today was fun for me.”
To learn more about electrical safety, visit sce.com/staysafe. For free online resources, videos and interactive games on electrical safety for kids, parents and teachers can visit sce.e-smartonline.net.