What a day indeed. 250 kids and their parents packed in to the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club to be custom fitted with a brand new bike helmet. The event was the official kick off to the 2010 “Helmets for Kids” campaign in Toronto.
Our firm was proud to donate the 250 helmets to make this event happen. OTLA has been running the program since 2002 across Ontario, but this was the first one in Toronto. We can’t think of a better way of giving back to our community than keeping kids safe. It was a lot of fun in getting this together and getting these helmets on the heads of the kids.
We were very pleased to have community sponsorship from not only OTLA but also the Boys and Girls Club, the Ontario Safety League, the Ontario Brian Injury Association, Brain Injury Society of Toronto, the Toronto Police, CP24, and the Toronto Cyclists Union.
Matteo Serverino, of the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club energetically organized his troops of staff and volunteers to help get the word out to his club members and their parents. 14 Division Toronto Police also made a stellar contribution by bringing awareness of the event to the most needing in the community. After all these incredible efforts, the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club was brimming with kids ready to be fitted up for safe summer rides.
Click here to watch the Dover Court Kids YouTube video about the Helmets On Kids Event
Cam Wooley and CP24 graciously dropped by and gave media support to this great cause. Special thanks must also go out to Brian Patterson for his organizational and hands on work. Brian also gave valuable safety tips to all the kids at the event.
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/health/lifetime-with-pauline-chan/#clip302383
Yvonne Bambrick, Executive Director of the Toronto Cyclists Union, also joined us to provide her support for safe cycling and the need for safe passage for kids to bike to school. Denise McRiner from BIST and Michelle Meehan from OBIA gave support to the event. BIST and OBIA have been at the forefront of preventing head injuries across the province.
Toronto Police put their support behind the event. Officers from 14th Division came out to speak to kids about bike and community safety. A very special visit was made by the mounted unit and the canine unit. According to Toronto Police, 1,140 cyclists were involved in collisions last year. “As the summer approaches, drivers have to pay particular attention to kids on bikes” said 14 Division Police Superintendent Ruth White. “The helmet campaign is a great place to start in promoting a safe biking summer”.
One last thank you must also go out to organizers and volunteers who made the day a success. Anika, Cheryl, Nicole, Heather and Gabby of our Toronto McLeish Orlando office joined forces with the staff and student volunteers at the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club to really get things moving.
Patrick Brown with the 2010 Helmets For Kids Volunteers
