Helmet giveaway Saturday
This may finally be the year that Paint-a-Helmet organizers give out 1,000 free bike helmets. The annual event has been staged by the 15 local Kiwanis clubs for the past eight years, but they’ve never managed to give away all of the helmets.
The closest they came was two years ago when 968 were handed out, said Crestina Ritz, a member of the East Spokane Kiwanis. “We get so close. I’m hoping we’ll give away all 1,000 this year.”
The event will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Spokane County Fairgrounds, Building C, at Havana and Broadway. Admission is free. All children age 3-16 will receive a free new helmet as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Kids can then decorate the helmets however they like.
“These helmets are all DOT rated,” Ritz said. “They’re really good ones. We found that when they personalize them, they’re more apt to wear them. We’ve had kids get into accidents and bring them back to us and get a new one.”
The event will also include clowns, live music and booths set up by social service agencies. Each booth will have an activity for kids or give away prizes. Hoopfest will have a table and will be giving away free basketballs, Ritz said. “They’ll have to shoot for a ball, to win one,” Ritz said.
There will also be car-seat experts there to check seats and if parents are found to have a seat that has been recalled, they’ll get a new one for free, Ritz said. Volunteers will also take pictures and fingerprints of children for Operation Family ID. “The whole idea behind Paint-a-Helmet is for our children to be educated in safety programs,” Ritz said. “We try to make it a fun day.”
The local Kiwanis did smaller giveaways individually for years, but eight years ago they decided to pool their money for a large, annual event. The groups raise about $8,000 every year to buy the helmets.
The event usually draws a big crowd, which requires a large crew of volunteers to greet them. This year the Kiwanis have gathered 30 helmet fitters to speed families through the process. “By 8:30 a.m. we have people lined up,” she said. “At 9 a.m. we open the doors and it’s just chaos after that. For the families it’s very well organized. We have it down to a science.”
And if they should be successful at giving away all the helmets this year and run out before the day is done, Ritz will take down names and get money together to buy more. “I know we’ll get them one,” she said.