Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 120 Children’s Bicycle Helmets to Dedham Police and Dedham Bike Rodeo

Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate 120 children’s bicycle helmets to the Dedham Police Department and the Dedham Bike Rodeo this year. This was our fourth year participating  in the rodeo and Attorney Reza Breakstone was on hand to fit children for new helmets and answer questions about bicycle safety.

20160727-P1130939The Dedham Police Department and the Dedham Parks & Recreation Department organize the annual rodeo, which is always held at the Endicott Estate. We always expect warm weather, but this year was especially hot and we were worried children may not come out. There was no cause for concern. We still had many parents and grandparents bring children, and children from local childcare programs stop in. Attorney Breakstone still fit about 75 children ages 4 to 10 for new bicycle helmets. Dedham police officers will give the rest to children who need one.

Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the bicycle helmets through our Project KidSafe campaign, which has now donated over 10,000 helmets to children in eastern Massachusetts. We started our safety campaign in 2013. The Dedham Bike Rodeo was one of our first events and it is always rewarding to return each year.

bike-safety-pageHow to Fit Your Child’s Bicycle Helmet
If you or your child need help fitting a helmet, we want to share this video. Putting a bicycle helmet on your child is a critical step in protecting them from a serious head injury. By wearing a helmet, cyclists reduce their chance for head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Other studies have shown it provides even more protection so it is important for all cyclists to wear one, every time they ride. Read More

Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates Bicycle Helmets at Dedham Bike Rodeo For Third Year

Breakstone, White & Gluck returned to the Dedham Bike Rodeo yesterday for the third year in a row. We were happy to donate 120 new bicycle helmets to the kids at the rodeo.

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Photo: Attorneys Ronald E. Gluck and David W. White of Breakstone, White & Gluck with Dedham police officers, including Neil Cronin and Bob Nedder.

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Photo: Attorney David W. White with Isabella and Jessica, both 11. We have fit them for helmets in the past and this year, they were thrilled to fit into our largest size.

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Photo: Attorney David W. White with 4-year-olds from the Courtyard Learning Center in Dedham.

The Dedham Bike Rodeo was one of the first events we participated in after starting our Project KidSafe campaign in 2013 and we always look forward to it. It is an annual event organized by the Dedham Police Department and Dedham Parks & Recreation Department. Local children are invited to ride around at the Endicott Estate, then offered a free lunch. The Dedham Police Department raffles off free bicycles to a few lucky children. For the finale, the Dedham Fire Department brings in the hose truck and lets the kids run under the water to cool down. That was much needed yesterday, with the temperature over 90 degrees!

Attorney David W. White fitted the children for new bicycle helmets and talked to them about the importance of always wearing one. A child who wears a helmet significantly reduces their chance of suffering a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident. In Massachusetts, wearing a bicycle helmet is also the law for children and teenagers 16 years old or younger.

David has fitted some of the Dedham kids two or three times now over the years and it was nice to see them back, willing to wait in line on such a hot day. A lot of helmets from years past were still being worn by other kids.

Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the helmets as part of our Project KidSafe campaign, which we launched in 2013. To date, we have donated over 5,000 helmets and expect to reach 8,000 by year’s end.

Our goal is to encourage children to wear bicycle helmets and ride their bikes safely. Even though it is widely known that bicycle helmets can protect cyclists, many children still do not wear them or use ones which do not fit properly or are in poor condition.

It is important for children to wear helmets which fit properly and meet safety standards. Children are especially vulnerable to bicycle-related injuries and deaths, accounting for half of all cyclists who are treated in emergency rooms each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 26,000 children are treated for traumatic brain injuries related to bicycling accidents.

We also encourage parents to always wear their helmets too. When children see their parents consistently wearing helmets, the use of helmets by children increases dramatically.

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