A Helmet For Each Head

Penn Wilder, left, of Bell Sports helps Sophia Rodriguez, 11, fit into her bicycle helmet Wednesday at Ardis Ann Middle School in Bentonville. Bell Sports, in a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide and Mercy Health System, donated 650 helmets to students at the school on National Bike to School Day.
Penn Wilder, left, of Bell Sports helps Sophia Rodriguez, 11, fit into her bicycle helmet Wednesday at Ardis Ann Middle School in Bentonville. Bell Sports, in a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide and Mercy Health System, donated 650 helmets to students at the school on National Bike to School Day.

BENTONVILLE — Many children own a bicycle. Far fewer children own a bicycle helmet.

That won’t be the case among Ardis Ann Middle School students. Each of the school’s 642 students soon will receive a free bike helmet through a partnership between Bell Helmets and Safe Kids Worldwide. The first shipment of about 100 helmets arrived at the school Wednesday.

At A Glance

Bike Donations

This school year has been big for bicycles in the Bentonville School District. In November the district distributed 30 bicycles to each of its physical education programs — a total of 540 — thanks to more than $130,000 in donations and in-kind services from several organizations, including the Walton Family Foundation, Coca-Cola, Walmart Visitors Center, Bentonville Public Schools Foundation, Trek, Phat Tire and Amp Sign and Banner. Bell also donated 540 bike helmets at the time.

Source: Staff Report

The school was told about the donation Friday, said physical education teacher Donna Lewis.

“The kids love it,” Lewis said. “As soon as we heard, we put it out over the intercom. You could hear the school erupt.”

Wednesday was National Bike to School Day. To celebrate the day, Safe Kids coalitions helped facilitate about 150 events nationwide involving bike safety promotion and youth education, bicycling activities and helmet donations.

At Ardis Ann on Wednesday, students learned how to wear a helmet properly and watched a video about bike safety. Then they put their helmets on, checked to make sure their bikes were working correctly, and went for a ride.

Lewis found through an informal survey only about one-third of students at Ardis Ann own bike helmets.

“I’ve seen many of these kids biking without a helmet at Compton Gardens,” she said. “This is so awesome for them because it will keep them safe.”

Daphne Greenlee, a Safe Kids coordinator based at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo., said wearing a helmet reduces the risk of brain injuries while riding by 88 percent.

“But only 44 percent of kids under 14 years old are wearing helmets,” Greenlee said.

The students will receive Bell Blade Youth helmets that regularly sell for about $24. The donation is worth about $15,000, according to Daniel Pistoresi, a spokesman for Bell Helmets and Safe Kids Worldwide.

Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to protecting children from injuries, was founded in 1988. Bell became one of the first corporate sponsors of Safe Kids the following year; since then it has distributed more than 2.5 million free helmets.

Kaleigh Gallagher, an Ardis Ann fifth-grader, said she already owns a bike helmet, but is happy to get another one.

“I think it’s amazing,” Kaleigh said. “We should be real thankful.”

Kaleigh didn’t start wearing her helmet regularly until last year, when she crashed into a parked car on her street while riding her bike. She said she didn’t hurt her head, but she did break an arm.

Ardis Ann, along with the rest of Bentonville’s schools, received a donation of bicycles earlier this school year.

Tim Keith, an Ardis Ann physical education teacher, said the goal is to help students discover activities that inspire them to stay fit for life.

“(Bicycling) opens a whole new avenue for them,” Keith said. “The excitement’s been unbelievable. They can do this for a lifetime.”

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