Rotary Club holds bike helmet giveaway
A fourth grade class at Beach Elementary is a little bit safer in the streets now, thanks to the Rotary Club.
Members of the Fort Myers Rotary Club held a bike helmet giveaway at the school last Wednesday.
Seventeen fourth graders were fitted with new helmets.
Joe Hensley, a Rotary Club member for 16 years and alumnus of the Beach School, organized the event.
He was joined by John Dommerich, a 17-year member, and firefighter Lloyd Adams, who helped the kids fit their helmets correctly.
The helmets were donated by Helmets R Us.
“I call it the day of the yard-wide smile,” Hensley said.
He started giving away bike helmets when he lived in Calistoga, California, after a child in his community was knocked off his bike and killed by a motorist.
This is the first time he has done a helmet giveaway at the Beach School.
Joshua Murray, 9, was excited about his new helmet.
“I’m going to ride with it tomorrow,” he said. “I have two bikes now, and a scooter.”
Trinity Moore, 10, said this was her first helmet.
Hensley thought the giveaway was a great success, and hopes to continue them in the future.
The Rotary Club is a community service organization with 1.2 million members worldwide.
In Fort Myers, they participate in many projects throughout the year, including Dictionary Day, Roadside Cleanup, and the Scholar-Athlete Awards.
In the past year, Rotary Club of Fort Myers South has donated more than $54,000 to local charities and organizations.