Fire station hosts fundraiser to bring Safe Haven Baby Box to Central KY

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - After discovering that Central Kentucky did not offer a safe and anonymous way for mothers in crisis to surrender their babies, one Jessamine County firefighter is aiming to change that.

“Me and my wife, we’re actually foster parents, so children are a big part of my life and I can’t stand to see if anything bad happens to any of them,” said Nicholasville Fire Department Fire Marshall and Deputy Chief of Prevention, Josh Bolton.

A safe haven baby box is a safety device that allows mothers in crisis to safely and securely surrender their babies to prevent the illegal abandonment of their child.

“There’s nowhere close for parents to safely relinquish their babies without doing it in person or doing something that no one wants to happen, like discard them somewhere,” said Bolton.

Bolton said as exciting as he is to get the ball rolling, this project cannot be completed without the community’s help.

He added that the department has started fundraising to get the project moving.

“It’s at least 16,000 dollars. 11,000 dollars for the box itself and then you have installation and an alarm system and everything that goes with it,” Bolton said.

Once the project is fully funded, Bolton said it’ll take a little over two months for the box to be ready for use. He added that the department plans to install the baby box at Station 4.

“If its ever put in and we never use it, that’d be great, but if it just saves one baby’s life in 40 years or whatever, I think its well worth all the expense and time it takes to do this process,” Bolton added.

If you are looking to donate, you can call Bolton at (859) 550-6427 or message the Nicholasville Fire Department’s Facebook page.

Donation checks may also be mailed to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, PO Box 185, Woodburn, IN, 46797, with “East End F Baby Box” in the memo.

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