Helmets on Kids campaign to distribute 800 bicycle helmets in London-Middlesex

With summer officially underway, community groups are coming together to make sure that financial need doesn’t prevent any child from having a bicycle helmet.

The 2017 Helmets on Kids campaign kicked off Thursday morning with an event at Ealing Public School in London where 85 helmets were distributed.

“This is the third year I’ve been chair of the committee and the kids, they just get so energized, and they’re so enthused about receiving the helmets and the educational component as well,” Helmets on Kids chair Jake Aitcheson told AM980.

“They really do take it to heart and I trust that they go home, they tell their parents, and it’s extra protection as they make sure that their parents are also wearing a helmet.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They really do take it to heart and I trust that they go home, they tell their parents, and it's extra protection as they make sure that their parents are also wearing a helmet."

The event involved several guest speakers, including Mayor Matt Brown, school board representatives and former national team cyclist Sarah Mason. The kickoff was followed by a bicycle rodeo organized by London police officers.

Over the course of the campaign, roughly 800 helmets will be distributed to students in the Thames Valley District School Board and London District Catholic School Board throughout the month of June.

“There typically is a financial need component that drives the classes that are selected so that is a determination made by the school board each year.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There typically is a financial need component that drives the classes that are selected so that is a determination made by the school board each year."

When the school year ends, helmets will also be available through the London Health Sciences Centre, the Children’s Safety Village of London and Area and the Brain Injury Association of London and Region.

Helmets on Kids began in 2003 when members of the Brain Injury Association of London & Region distributed 200 helmets to local children. The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association quickly got on board to help expand the program province-wide.

“We never want to see a child in harm’s way,” Aitcheson added.

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“This is an easy initiative that we can follow, we can pursue, and that can benefit the community and make sure we see them in this situation rather than in our office when they’re injured.”

Research from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows cycling-related head injuries account for 60 per cent of children and youth hospitalizations.