Our History

Safe Kids Worldwide_® was founded in 1988 by Martin R. Eichelberger, M.D., a pediatric trauma surgeon, and Herta Feely, a public relations professional, at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Too many times, Dr. Eichelberger experienced the dreadful moment of telling parents that their child had died. When a devastated parent would ask, “Was there anything I could have done to prevent it?” Dr. Eichelberger was forced to look the parent in the eye and answer, “Yes.”

Dr. Eichelberger joined with Feely, and Johnson & Johnson to create the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the only U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries. In 2005, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign officially became Safe Kids Worldwide. Today, Safe Kids works in the United States and around the world to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since our inception, there has been a 60 percent decrease in the unintentional injury rate among children 19 years and younger.