Barbara Johnson was a Representative from Port Washington in New York. She died in 2000. Kathryn Podobinski was one of the original Main Street Journal journalists. Read this article to get a sense of how to write an interview.

Jr. Journalist Interviews Barbara Johnson by Kathryn Podobinski, age 8

I am a Jr. Journalist from the PW school district. I interviewed Barbara Johnson at her home in Port Washington. She is the First Representative for Port Washington, Manhasset and Roslyn in the Nassau County Legislature. I interviewed her about the Lacer Disc program she is sponsoring.

KP: What made you decide on the Lacer Disc program?

BJ: Well, I was very, very interested in doing something for children in my district. I'm a mother, too, although my children are grown, my son is a lawyer and my daughter is finishing school, and I remember when they were little one of my biggest fears to me was that they might get lost. Sometimes when you get kind of rattled and nervous and a lot of kids forget important information. So I wanted to do something for lost children. That's how it began.

KP: Where did you hear about the Lacer Discs?

BJ: I heard about it through one of the secretaries in my office. She came in one day and she said “Barbara, look at this article from a newspaper in Lynbrook .” They were doing the program there. She said, “I think you ought to do it here in Port Washington , Roslyn and Manhasset,” which is my legislative district. But I've really gone big with this program. In Lynbrook it's a good program, but we have covered everybody in my district – with a mailing and with the cards and with the discs. I have visited elementary schools, day care centers and now I'm going to go into the senior care centers with all of this.

KP: What information is on the Lacer Disc?

BJ: You will see on one side is a number. This one says “210" and it says Port Washington Lacer Disc” and on the other side it says “Please call Port Washington , New York Police” and the telephone number. You tie it at the bottom of your speaker or, if you're not wearing sneakers with laces, sometimes people have Velcro and the mothers have been taking fishing line, very cleverly, putting it through the disc and sewing in onto the sneaker. If you're not wearing sneakers you can wear it on a pin on your clothing or you can wear it on a key chain, but the important thing is to wear it all the time.

KP: Who can use the Lacer Discs?

BJ: Anybody who wants a Lacer Disc can use it. It started as a program for lost children, but I've been asked about them by so many adults that now I've opened up the program to anybody who wants a disc.

KP: How many Lacer Discs have you given out?

BJ: All I can say is hundreds and hundreds. About three weeks ago I was on Eyewitness News with the children at the Sousa School . Art McFarland came because apparently his editor on Eyewitness News must live in Roslyn and the family got the mailing. So they spent about an hour with me at the Sousa School and the kids over there, which had the discs on.

KP: Did you only give letters to houses with children?

BJ: No. I sent it to every single household in my legislative district. That's why I've been questioned by some people who are joggers and who sometimes don't take any identification with them. You know any identification with them. You know they can trip, fall, bang their head and become unconscious and, at least if any ambulance came and they saw the disc they could call the Port Washington Police and say, “We have somebody here. Can you tell us who it is and what we should do?” So it's now been opened up to everybody.

KP: How do you get the Lacer Discs?

BJ: You fill out a card which has been sent to everybody, one per child, and you take to the Port Washington Police which is right on Port Washington Boulevard and mom or dad get the disc right away.

I also interviewed Officer Anthony Guzzello, better known to the Port Washington school children as “Officer Tony.” Officer Tony has been helping Mrs. Johnson spread the word about the Lacer Discs.

KP: Who supplies the Lacer Discs?

OTG; The Lacer Discs are purchased and supplied personally by Mrs. Johnson. She pays for the entire program out of her own expenses. It doesn't come out of the taxpayer expense or through her law office. She gives the discs to me and I'm the one who hands them out, but she's the one who pays for them.

KP: Why did you decide to help Barbara Johnson with the Lacer Discs?

OTG: The police district felt that it was very important to work with the children in the community in an effort to help all of us in the instance where a child is unable to be identified, such as when a child gets lost due to a family problem and the children are afraid to give any information because they were taken away by another parent. What's wonderful about this program is that it's not limited to just children. It's also good for adults – people with Alzheimer's disease, people who are mentally retarded, the physically challenged it's a wonderful thing for them. I have one myself because I ski a lot and I don't carry a driver's license or any identification when I ski. So it also helps me. So it helps anybody – joggers, people who ride bicycles a lot, people who roller blade. It's a wonderful program.

KP: Are there any adults registered?

OTG: There's about 15 or 20 adults. So as I said, it's not just for children; it's for adults too. I carry it on my key chain in case I ever valet park my car and my keys get lost or if I happen to drop my keys, at least somebody can drop them in the mailbox and the PW Police know who it belongs to.

Both Barbara and Officer Tony are really excited about this program. The Lacer Discs are a good idea because they can be asked to identify people who need help.