By Chris Boron
Observer-Reporter, May 1, 2008
The birds are chirping. The flowers are blooming, and children everywhere are counting down to the final days of school. Spring is officially here, and summer is riding on its tail.
To prepare for hours of hot fun in the summer sun, children have dusted off their bicycles and begun reperfecting their skills for the next several months of riding.
But riding bikes is all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and that's exactly what the Aultman Health Foundation is aiming to prevent.
For the fourth consecutive spring, volunteers of the Aultman Health Foundation, including employees of Aultman Hospital, have been traveling all across Stark County teaching first graders about bike safety.
During the Safety First program, volunteers hand out educational coloring and activity booklets and give a short interactive presentation that teaches the children about bike safety habits such as being alert, using hand signals and always wearing protective safety gear.
At the end of the lesson, unbeknownst to the first graders, each of them is fitted with a brand new bicycle helmet provided free by Aultman.
April 22, a dozen volunteers showed up at Sauder Elementary School in Jackson Township to give their presentation to all of the first grade classes. Sheri Fox, a wellness specialist at Aultman Hospital, was one of the volunteers who helped fit the children at Sauder with their new helmets. She feels that so many people are distracted while driving now because of cell phones, iPods and GPS units that it's important to teach children early to be safe.
"We have to teach them to watch out for themselves," Fox said. "We know as adults that we need to watch out for children, but it's important for the children to know that there are other distractions that they need to watch out for, too."
By June, Aultman volunteers will have taught 246 safety classes at approximately 90 schools throughout Stark County. Nearly 5,200 first grade boys and girls will be personally fitted with a new helmet before the school year is over.
The Aultman Health Foundation initially started the program in 2005 by going to the six schools surrounding the hospital. The Foundation received such an outpouring of appreciation by the community after the first year that it decided to expand the program to all public and private schools in Stark County.
According to an Aultman Hospital press release, an estimated half-million injuries occur annually in the United States as a result of bike accidents.
A recent study done by Safe Kids Stark County and the Stark County Health Department stated that 435 children were treated in Stark County hospitals for wheeled-sports related injuries in 2006.
Tracy Schlemmer, the director of community relations for the Aultman Health Foundation, feels this program reflects Aultman's mission of being involved in the community.
"It's exciting and encouraging for our employees -- especially those who don't provide direct patient care -- to be out in the community and see Aultman's mission at work, which is 'leading our community to improved health,'" Schlemmer said.
She also felt better knowing that local children will suffer fewer head injuries thanks to the new helmets they receive.
Elizabeth Bara, a first grader at Sauder Elementary School, said she already had two helmets at home that were too small for her, but the one she received from Aultman fit her just right.
She said she understood why it's important to be safe while riding a bike. "You might fall and start bleeding from your nose," Bara said while adjusting her new head gear. "It's always safe to wear a helmet."
