Helotes, TX (July 26th, 2022) Barbara Baldwin a longtime Helotes resident, Registered Nurse and entrepreneur was recently awarded the Emergency Nurses Association’s most prestigious award this past May. Calling Evans Valley Acres home since 1980 with her husband Richard, the couple predates the incorporation of Helotes.
Barbara’s career in Emergency Nursing started at Baptist Memorial Hospital. After one year she moved to Methodist Specialty & Transport Hospital serving twenty-nine years and culminating in a thirty-year career in total.
What’s more is since 1989, Barbara has owned and operated a company, Safety Whys. Her nationally franchised company provides a copyrighted Babysitter Training Program for youths ages 11-17. In 2018 the Helotes couple established the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization THE Safety Whys C.A.R.E.S. Foundation. According to the foundation’s website:
“The Safety Whys CARES Foundation provides grants to Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and Rotary Chapters, & other interested Organizations throughout the United States, for conducting a Safety Whys Course. The foundation is a non-profit organization given the 501 (c) 3 classification #83-2391044.”
Barbara is an active citizen in Helotes who is part of the Helotes Historical Society, Helotes Area Chamber of Commerce and Dominion Rotary Organization. She has helped at First Aid Stations for numerous events such as the Annual Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
When asked, “What words of wisdom do would you like to pass on for anyone looking to making Emergency Nurse as a career?” Barbara replied: “Go for it! It’s fascinating how much intervention can take place in the span of a minute. There are several mentoring programs for new graduates interested in starting their Emergency Nursing Career. The San Antonio ENA Chapter, representing nurses from many different hospitals, promotes student attendance & I love the colleague support for each other.”
Recently, Barbara and her husband Richard completed a years-long tour traveling to all fifty states planting seeds about their successful program. Having visited the Continental United States in their branded Tour Coach as shown here.
Barbara added, “My next big goal as a private venture is to have a Resource Center & Museum based out of Helotes, that will be a business facility for kids.”
When asked for comment; Helotes City Council Member Matt McCrossen said this, “I extend my congratulations to Barbara for her well-deserved national recognition! Helotes is fortunate to have an entrepreneur like Barbara. I’ll ensure Barbara connects with our Helotes Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) to help explore the feasibility of her goal to establish resource center and museum. The HEDC has a long-standing goal of building a visitor center in Helotes; this predates my time on the HEDC board of directors and Helotes City Council. At the very least I want to ensure Barbara and the HEDC connect.”
Barbara followed with this statement, “In terms of the Resource Center goal, I have ethical standards that are the foundation of the Babysitter Course—kids can do a lot, if they just get some direction. And one of the reasons that I pursued getting a National Babysitter’s Day, was that this is an area that kids can relate to. The Resource Center I envision is a place where kids can organize and take some leadership governing their own organization as they grow into their adult years.”
Click on the following link for more information about Barbara and Safety Whys.
Click on the following link for the ENA’s award press release ENA Names Barbara Baldwin 2022 Judith C. Kelleher Award Recipient
Portions of this article republished with permission from Emergency Nurses Association.