Perhaps there's no more important task than to ensure the safety of our children.

To that end, significant steps were taken in that direction as part of a Kids Fair held Saturday in the Palmerton Community Park.The joint project was sponsored by Lehighton Lodge 621 Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, and the Community Services Committe of the Carbon County Association of Realtor's.Paula Fritzinger, chairperson of the CCAR Community Services Committee, said the event centered around the safety of the children in communities throughout the county."It was a day to bring the kids out for a fun day," Fritzinger said. "If they learn one thing, it's that if something happens, it's that they're safe."The event featured several programs, informational displays and short seminars that provided valuable information to help keep children safe, and to provide them with safety tips to help them make good decisions whenever they are posed with questionable situations, Fritzinger said.The CHILD ID PROGRAM (CHIP) proved to be a big hit, as parents were given an Ambler Alert System compatible CD-ROM of the digital information collected.In the event that their child should ever go missing or be separated from them, the Masonic CHIP "Purple Packet" gives law enforcement and recovery officials essential materials to help find their children. All identifying materials generated during a Masonic CHIP event are given to the child's family.The event was free to participating parents as a result of generous public and private donations. In addition, the Realty Association held a community yard sale, where light refreshments were served.The Carbon County Association of Realtor's (CCAR) was created in 1979 as a trade organization that provides education, technology and political advocacy for real estate-related issues at all levels of government for its members. Membership in CCAR realtors are also members of the PA Association of Realtor's (PAR) and National Association of Realtor's (NAR). Through its Community Services Committee, CCAR facilitates events to benefit the local communities its members serve, and conduct fundraisers to finance its "Sunshine Fund", which contributes money to local Carbon County charities and children and families in need.Freemasonry is a fraternity built on the cardinal virtues of brotherly love, charity and truth. Masons are men of charity and good works. In America, Freemasonry has been called "the world's greatest philanthropy," for contributing more than two million dollars every day to charitable causes which they, alone, have established.