They’re cute, they’re funny and they look like guest cast members on The Muppet Show. But their message to young students today was no laughing matter.
“Play safe and play smart.”
BrainMinders is a puppet program for children put on by the Pilot Club of Dallas. Through the club’s BrainMinders Safety Program, kindergarteners and first-graders at George W. Truett Elementary School learned about the do’s and don’ts of bike-rider safety.
But the highlight of the day came when the students were told they would each receive a helmet.
Lori Raso, president-elect of the Pilot Club of Dallas, says helmets are essential to protecting the brain. It’s why she believes every kid needs one.
“We feel that this is one school where we might find children who might not find a helmet, because the cost of helmets is pretty prohibitive, if you go to the store,” said Raso.
Experts say this is the proper way to wear a helmet.
Tyana Woods is a first-grader who received one of the helmets. Though she’s never had a bike, she still has plans to make use of her new bike toy.
“And then I’m going to bring my helmet to ride my friend’s scooter,” said Woods.
Along with rider-safety, Raso and the rest of the Pilot Club spoke to a child’s overall safety, even posing the question to students of what to do when crossing the street.
“They say cross the street, you’ve got to look both ways,” said Woods.
In the end, nearly 350 students received safety helmets to wear while playing on their bikes. Not bad for an afternoon filled with fun and laughter.
